GALLIANO, La. — Hurricane Ida continues to shed a light on food insecurities in the most hard-hit areas of our communities. In response, Lafourche Parish District Attorney Kristine Russell and her office want to show they do more than prosecute. Her office has started a new initiative, turning schools in the district into food pantries.
"We say Lafourche strong all the time, but we're Louisiana strong. And what we need Louisiana to understand is right now, you're still needed," she said. "We want people to understand that we have people in our state, in our community that are in desperate need and we don't want to forget them and most of all we don't want to forget our kids. They're our future. We say it all the time but the only way we're going to turn this around because if we continue to support them, allow them to have basic needs so they can go to school and again, be productive citizens one day and do what we do and what we love."
Russell says since the hurricane, donations from across the region have continued to flood into their community. Wanting to do more than create a presence in the schools, her office found the donations to be a way to provide for both students and staff in a way many of them desperately need right now.
South Lafourche High School has set up its items in the school's library.
"There are always people in need and a lot of times students are embarrassed to say they're in need, but if we can provide it in such a way that they have some security in knowing nobody has to know and they we're there for them,"
Principal Gaye Cheramie said. "It's not only about educating our children but it's about making them whole people, and if we can lead by example then we have produced a better citizen."
Cheramie says the past three years have been more than a struggle for her students and staff. Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and now a devastating storm, she says there's no greater lesson than resilience.
She also hopes this new initiative doesn't stop here, but continues to grow and continues throughout the school year.
"If anything, this should make our children more resilient, give them a backbone and understand that they need to press through and that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Take one step forward and every day does get better. This year with hurricane Ida it has shown that."
If your school is interested in bringing this initiative to your school, Russell says you can contact her office.