Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana

The Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana is the largest distributor of donated food for our 7 parish area and we of one of only five food banks in the state. We sort, warehouse and distribute food to over 120 non-profit organizations in our seven-parish region, which includes Caddo, Bossier, Bienville, Claiborne, Desoto, Red River, and Webster. These organizations, also called "partner agencies", distribute the food to needy individuals free of charge. Some partner agencies operate pantries, bagging up sacks of groceries for parents to take home to hungry families such as Noel Neighborhood Ministries and Operations Blessing. Some agencies prepare and serve meals to the hungry like Christian Services and Airline Church of Christ. Many others are shelters such as Provicence House, Salvation Army and the Shreveport Bossier Rescue Mission, providing refuge for people who require short of long term assistance. Still other gouprs distribute food to the elderly, many of whom are home-bound or chronically ill. The Food Bank also warehouses Northwest Louisiana's portion of the state's allocated USDA commodity food products. These USDA commodities are available at no cost to our member agencies. Donated food from coast to coast across the United States is available for up to nineteen cents per pound, a shared maintenance fee that helps to cover fuel and freight costs to get it here. Local food donations from businesses, individuals, and food drives play a large role in supplying the food needed to provide the over 6 million pounds that we distributed last year.