TCU Food Bank Grows with Demand Adding on Additional Facilities

The Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank’s (TCU Food Bank) staff and volunteers have always been passionate about serving the area and doing everything they can to help with the area’s food insecurity. The food bank has recently completed a new building on the property to help with storage and plan to construct an additional building that will be approximately 3,000 square feet. Senator Mike Fesi and Representative Jerome “Zee” Zeringue visited the food bank this week to tour the new building and to see the fruition of the money they are advocating for in the state’s capital.

When it comes to serving the parish, President Lawrence DeHart said they will serve 33,000 people this year which isn’t necessarily a good thing. At least 36 percent of the people the food bank serves are Terrebonne Parish seniors which is a huge problem in DeHart’s eyes. The more food insecurity rises, the more accommodations the local food bank needs to serve the community.

TCU has seen many upgrades small and large including an electric taper that is at the end of an assembly line that has helped increase production rates tremendously. They can unpack three pallets in the time it used to take all day. They have also been able to get a compactor where they compact the cardboard boxes they receive food in and can recycle bales to be reused to help with waste. The major additions have been additional facilities on the property that will allow the food bank to serve many more hungry families and fill more pantries. Where they used to only store about 200 pallets, the additional building allows them to store 450 pallets of food between two buildings. Just in the new facility, it can hold up to 290 pallets of food!

The newly completed building is a Category 4 Hurricane metal state-of-the-art facility that houses a freezer twice the size of the one in the main building that has a sensor that alerts staff if the door is left open too long or if temperatures aren’t just right. As another precaution, they have thermometers in all buildings that are marked with tape for food safety as a precaution and DeHart exclaimed they believe in redundancies to assure everything is taken care of; it’s all about having a backup plan. This means that the new building has everything needed and can be used as the main distribution center if need be. If there were any silver linings when it comes to Hurricane Ida, the experiences that the food bank and partners faced during the storm have opened their eyes to precautions that are now being fulfilled for the next hurricane season. The building is complete, however, the generator for the facility will not be in until April 2023.

During Ida, both Senator Fesi and Representative Zeringue put boots to the ground and personally unloaded/loaded trailers. They were available where ever they needed and proved to be true friends to the food bank. During the storm, Representative Zeringue made accommodations for a reefer to be on site for a month straight simply because the food bank had no room for the amount of food that was coming in. They were distributing just as fast, however, the amount of generosity from people nationwide proved an issue when it came to not only finding space to store food but also being able to safely store items. Being that electricity was out for a while in the area, they couldn’t rely fully on outside warehouses, so an expensive reefer had to be utilized for frozen items. The new facility additions along with the future addition will solve this problem completely for events to come.

Senator Mike Fesi serves District 20 and is on the state’s Finance Committee. Although the senator advocates for government money for the food bank, his love for the organization came well before politics, “They do so much, I just can’t explain it..when you see the line of people that are down our bayous and they’re just hurting. To watch my district, which is Lafourche and Terrebonne, both parishes are washing away and the people just don’t have a way to make a living,” the senator said. He said he believes it’s an issue that’s not well-known, “When I went to the Southern States Legislative Conference in Oklahoma, they had no idea that our land washes away a football field every 30 minutes,” he said. He went on to explain how Louisiana is the heartbeat of America and that the amount of distribution that comes through our ports is simply amazing. His love for the state and his district are apparent as he advocates for creative ways to provide food to the unsecured, “Being on the Finance Committee, I get between $2-3 million a year that I can send in a direction as long as I can show a need,” Fesi explained. 

Representative Jerome “Zee” Zeringue is a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 52 in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. The food bank has always been in the representative’s heart, “It’s important to me to ensure that Lawrence and his organization have the resources they need to serve the people and to do the important job that they do… It’s not a question of if we’re going to get hit, it’s when we’re going to get hit. We’re always going to have these storms…It [the food bank] provides us, in terms of a governmental perspective, confidence that in those terrible events, we have organizations such as this that can support and take care of the people until we can get all the resources we need to provide help and support. This is just so important for this region,” the representative stated. To show appreciation for the individuals who have made it possible for the recent growth, TCU has embedded epoxy fish into the foundation of the new building with the names of those who have made a difference. Mike Fesi and Jerome “Zee” Zeringue both have fish that are forever in the foundation of the building.

When it comes to growth, the food bank has seen a lot of it over the years. Originally, the food bank’s facility was at a different building on Magnolia Street and was only 2,800 square feet. Once the fourth building is complete, they will have over 10,000 square feet on the entire property that lies at 922 Sunset Avenue in Houma. Looking back, DeHart says that he wouldn’t have believed the amount of growth the organization has experienced, “I don’t believe it. I look around and where we are now to where we were five years ago, it’s not even the same organization,” DeHart said. They now have a staff of 14 people, and many volunteers, and so far this year, they have given around $2 million in food. Not only has the facility physically grown, but they have also obtained the St. Francis Gardens that provides the community with fresh food.

TCU food bank will have its first fundraising event coming up on November 6. The Jazz Brunch event will be at 1:30 p.m. and catering will be provided by Michelle’s of Houma bringing delicious brunch dishes, fruit and cheese trays, finger sandwiches, and more! What’s a brunch without Mimosas? Rotary of Downtown Houma will be providing Mimosas which are included in the ticket price. Jazz music will be provided by The Assunto Dukes! A Dukes of Dixieland tribute band. They are nationally renowned musicians that play real jazz music. Raising most of the funds is a silent auction that is available online! The event will also have a live auction, so bring those wallets! Auction items include cruises, signed sports memorabilia, art, jewelry, and plenty more! All funds raised go directly to the food bank to support efforts in serving the community. Tickets are $50 for brunch, or if you want to just come to check out the music, tickets are only $25! There is also a tax-deductible table sponsorship for only $500. For more information and to start auctioning today, visit the event website!