Food banks ready for winter season

More than 700 individuals received assistance from food banks in Houma and Thibodaux last month as the first round of the winter holiday season rolled past, but fortunately, the Good Samaritan Food Banks’ stocks are still in good standing.

That’s mostly because of ongoing food drives held by local churches, schools, business and other organizations, said Henry Stegall, the new manager of Good Samaritan in Houma.

“They’ve given us a tremendous amount of support, in cash as well as food,” Stegall said, though he stressed that donations are always needed.

One regular donor is Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, which collected and turned over 5,632 items as part of its annual food drive last month. Parish employees donated an additional $219 in cash to the food bank.

Pacing the field was the Public Works Department’s Road and Bridges Division, which collected 2,162 items.

“It’s very inspiring to see how they look to help their community,” said David Rome, the division’s superintendent.

Rome challenged his subordinates by promising to treat the top-three donors to lunch at restaurants of their choosing. The inter-division winners combined to bring in nearly 1,000 items he said, with the leading donor collecting about 720 items.

“The top-two were sisters, bridge tenders,” he said. “They got into a competition.”

Lafourche Parish Government does not hold a food drive, though employees are encouraged to bring in gently used or new clothes or toys in conjunction with the Christmas season. The toys and clothes collected will be disbursed through the parish’s Office of Community Action.

Ultimately benefiting from the donations are the needy families who visit the food banks, which typically serve more people during the summer and winter holidays, when children are at home instead of school.

Food bank managers understand that they could see a spike in customers attributable to less government assistant being made available to the needy.

It’s tough to predict whether a recent federal cut to SNAP – or food stamp – benefits will drive more locals to food banks, Stegall said. “I can’t answer that at the moment, but we’re looking forward to servicing more (people),” he said.

In 2009, the Recovery Act boosted SNAP benefits to eligible households. That stimulus, affecting all SNAP households and ranging from $11 to a family of one to $36 for a family of four, expired Nov. 1.

The lapsed stimulus will amount to a $98 million cut to 920,000 Louisiana residents through September 2014, according to the nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

A Congressional conference committee continues to wrangle over a farm bill. Negotiations include the possibility of further cuts to the federal nutritional program.

The Houma food bank served 212 families, totaling 471 individuals, in November, more than the average of 170-190, Stegall said.

Beneficiaries must complete an interview process and provide proof of identification, income and expenses in order to qualify at Good Samaritan food banks, which typically give enough food to last three weeks.

“This place is mostly a stopgap operations to help people get up and going again, people who lose their job and get hurt,” Stegall said, though some of its clients are repeat customers.

Operating under the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux are three Good Samaritan branches: one in Houma, Raceland and Thibodaux.

Melodia Benoit, manager of the Raceland and Thibodaux branches, said Thibodaux’s food stock is at a comfortable level but the bank could use more hygienic items, such as shampoo, baby diapers and lotions.

Juice is also a needed commodity. “As soon as we get juice donated, it’s given out,” Benoit said.

Like Houma, Thibodaux relies heavily upon donations and partnerships with other organizations, including Second Harvest Food Bank in New Orleans. The Raceland branch, on the other hand, collects much of its proceeds through sales at its thrift store.

All three accept donations throughout the year, whether cash or specific items. The banks also accept volunteer hours.

“We have been really grateful” of community contributions, Benoit said. “This time of the year we will see more clients.”