BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge food pantry is getting some new improvements thanks to the nonprofit organization First Tuesday.
On the first Tuesday of every month, the group, made up of local businesses and volunteers, provides different services to five to nine area nonprofits. This month, one of those nonprofits benefiting from First Tuesday’s volunteers was HOPE Ministries.
“We’re doing three separate projects today in their food pantry, storage facility, and diaper closet, to upgrade their facilities,” said Nick Russell, a member of the First Tuesday leadership team.
David Tidwell, the President and CEO of HOPE Ministries, said the renovations will allow for some new equipment to be installed at the food pantry which will help the community. “We are removing a closet to make space for a new fresh fruit and vegetable cooler that will go in to better serve our clients with healthy fresh food,” Tidwell explained.
“We’re putting in a brand new open air refrigerator,” Russell continued. “So they’ll be able to have fresh produce, something that they’ve never had before here at HOPE Ministries.”
SNAP impact
The improvements come at a critical time, as demand for food assistance continues to rise across Louisiana. Nearly 800,000 Louisianians were expected to lose their SNAP benefits beginning November 1, but last week Governor Jeff Landry announced state funds will be used to keep food assistance flowing for its most vulnerable residents. However, Landry said, “There will come a point in time where we will not be able to load those cards.”
With so much uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits, food pantries and food banks are feeling the impact, and have been for months. “For the past probably eight months, the availability of USDA Food has really reduced, and the need is still great,” Tidwell said. “And with the changes to SNAP benefits, the need is even greater.”
“Our food pantry is a client choice model where individuals are able to shop for their food instead of just getting a box of something that they may not be able to eat or don’t care for,” Tidwell explained. “Our clients come in and they shop for their food, and they’re able to meet the dietary needs of their family.”
First Tuesday
This is just one example of the kind of work First Tuesday does each month to support the Baton Rouge community. The group started a little over three years ago, and has logged some significant time giving back to the community. “We’ve had 12,000 hours of service around the Baton Rouge community. We’ve had over 2000 volunteers,” Russell said.
On Nov. 4, Russell said they had 200 volunteers working across Baton Rouge. “Today we have crews at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Revive 225, St. George International School, St. Lillian Academy, Gardere Community Christian School, Destiny STEAM and Enrichment Center, The Red Shoe, and finally here at HOPE Ministries,” Russell said.
The group’s goal is simple: to make Baton Rouge a little better month by month. “Our mantra is, ‘What can we do to make this city 1% better once a month?,'” Russell said. “What would that look like if we could invite a friend to come hang out with us and do this. We like to think of it as a ripple effect. Once we get people involved, it becomes sort of addicting.
“The impact on the community is limitless,” Russell said.
“In particular with this Client Choice Food Pantry, this means the world to them,” Russell said. “It’s basically a grocery store. All of their clients come in here and pick up their groceries. We’re going to be installing an open air refrigerator, so that’ll be an enhancement to them.”
“If it were not for the help of First Tuesday, this project would not be possible to do on our own,” Tidwell said. “They partnered with us and brought in a bunch of contractors and volunteers to get it all done in a day. It’s a fantastic organization that serves many nonprofits in the area, and we’re very thankful for all the assistance they’re able to give us today.”
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