First Friday Memo - August 2025

From the desk of Jayne Wright-Velez, Executive Director

The Food Bank of Central Louisiana

August 2025 / Issue 186

August is National Wellness Month

It's time to prioritize your self-care, reduce stress, and create healthier habits to feel like your best self! National Wellness Month was born out of the idea that if we are going to do big things in the world, we need to take care of ourselves, too.  Research has shown self-care can help increase happiness by up to 71% when we manage our stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. National Wellness Month encourages individuals to make self-care a priority, build healthy routines, and support their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Whether you’re focusing on hydration, movement, nutrition, mindfulness, or simply slowing down, this month is your reminder to put yourself first. 

TC Energy Feeds Cenla Families

TC Energy has awarded a grant of $20,000 to the Food Bank of Central Louisiana to feed families across the region. TC Energy’s social impact program, Build Strong, invests in organizations that are vital to its communities and crucial for its business. Build Strong aims to mitigate barriers to well-being and cultivate diverse communities where residents advance, despite adversity. We are so grateful for this crucial support.

It's Back to School for the BackPack Program

With school starting over the next few weeks, the Food Bank of Central Louisiana is gearing up for this school year’s BackPack Program. The BackPack program helps children who are vulnerable to hunger at home by providing food to eat on weekends, when school meal programs aren’t available. At participating schools and childcare programs, children may receive a backpack full of nutritious, child-friendly meals and snacks to take home on Fridays during the school year. Visit our website at fbcenla.org to learn more and to support the program.

Call for Gently Used Backpacks

Backpacks aren’t just for kids! When a person is experiencing homelessness, challenges arise in all kinds of places – even at food pantries. To make visits a little easier, the food bank provides backpacks for unhoused neighbors who need a portable way to carry their food. We’re seeking donations of used backpacks in good condition to help lighten their load. Donations may be dropped off at the Food Bank of Central Louisiana Client Services Center at 3200 Baldwin Avenue, Monday-Friday 8am-4pm.

CN Will Match Hunger Action Month Donations

CN Rail will kick off Hunger Action Month a little early this year! Donors don’t have to wait until September to double their impact. CN has pledged to match all donations made during August and September, up to $10,000. We’re so thankful to CN for this challenge. We can end hunger, when we all work together.

Annual Impact

At the end of our 2024-2025 fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), support from our friends provided more food to more people than in any previous year. Neighbors were nourished with more than 11.9 million pounds of food, distributed in communities across the region. Want to see the details? Visit our website to learn more about the impact of all our programs across the eleven parishes served by the Food Bank of Central Louisiana. Our FY2024-25 Annual Impact Reports will be available on our website by month’s end at fbcenla.org/impact.

Legislative Update

The Food Bank of Central Louisiana recognizes the challenges Congress faces in crafting a bill that balances responsible federal spending and improves existing programs. At the same time, the new Big Beautiful Bill law will create real impacts to the lives of our neighbors in Cenla, especially for families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who count on programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid to stay healthy and stable during tough times. Now more than ever, we need to stand united to ensure that no one goes without the food they need to thrive. We believe in the strength of our communities. And we believe that, even while the challenges are considerable, we can come together to meet the need.

The Food Bank’s Board of Directors for Fiscal Year 2025-2026

Joe Gardner, Chair                            Gary Brown                                 Marie Simpson

Jill Kelone, Vice Chair                       Christina Hathorn                        Todd St.Romain

Sam Kennedy, Treasurer                  Tim Holloway                               Robert Willett

Brian Couvillon, Secretary                George Rhoads                           Sara Whittington

Heather Brown Mandy Scoggin