NEW ORLEANS – This weekend, Second Harvest Food Bank will receive the single-largest donation in the organization’s history from the Produce Marketing Association (PMA).
Following the PMA Fresh Summit Convention in the Morial Convention Center on Saturday, Oct. 21, PMA exhibitors will collectively donate more than 400,000 pounds of fresh produce and other food to Second Harvest.
Second Harvest Food Sourcing Manager Megan Nuismer says that this is the single largest donation of food in the organization’s 35-year history, and donations will also aid victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
“We’re so honored to receive this amazing gift from the Produce Marketing Association,” Nuismer said. “Finding high-quality produce for those we serve is sometimes a challenge, and this donation will help us feed thousands of our neighbors in need across Louisiana.”
More than 200 volunteers will join Second Harvest staff Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. to pack and load the estimated 400,000 pounds of produce and food onto two dozen 18-wheelers.
These trucks will set up in the Zephyr Field parking lot for distribution to community partners on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.
“This food will not only go to local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in our 23-parish service area, but also to other food banks across the state,” Nuismer said. “Additionally, Feeding America will deliver ten trucks of this produce to victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida.”
Second Harvest Food Bank is leading the fight against hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response, reps said. Second Harvest provides food to more than 550 partners and programs across 23 parishes from the Mississippi border to the Texas state line. Together, the group makes up the largest charitable anti-hunger network in the state.
Second Harvest Food Bank is an affiliated ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, a member of Feeding America, and a United Way partner agency.
