Terrebonne and Lafourche food bank numbers continue to surge as area 'has not recovered'

On a chilly Wednesday morning, cars lined the street outside a Houma food pantry. Terrebonne and Lafourche are hungry.

The parishes are on their fourth hammer blow: the COVID pandemic, Hurricane Ida, flood insurance changes, and now rising food costs, have relentlessly torn through people's savings, and their nest eggs are shrinking as fast as the area's population.

Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank and the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Charities have documented the increasing need for food assistance, and the numbers have grown three consecutive years.

"In the history of this food bank, we've never seen this many years of increase this long," Terrebonne Churches United President Lawrence DeHart said. "This area has not recovered."

The Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank will reach its 37th year of operation in April.

DeHart keeps records of their pantry's clients. The numbers are broken down by age, families, individuals, and the poundage handed out each month, and his charts compare the figures to the same month of the year prior.

Families served: 10,204, up 20% from last year.Children: 5,803, up 20% from last year.Adults: 14,940, up 5% from last year.Elderly: 5,265, up 7% from last year.

Census data from July 1, 2022, has Lafourche's population at 95,870, and Terrebonne's at 104,786. According to DeHart, the Churches United has seen double-digit return visits from the elderly for the past six years. Census data sets the elderly population, 65 and up, of Terrebonne at about 16,870, and Lafourche at 16,202. Terrebonne Churches united feeds people from both parishes, and at 5,265 elderly served, that's around a third of either parish's elderly population.

Catholic Charities Executive Director Benjamin Duet provided this year's numbers from the three food banks run by the organization. Duet didn't have last year's figures by the time of the story's writing.

He is new to his position, so he could not speak directly to the area's rising numbers, but said he was seeing similar trends as described by DeHart in meetings with other food bank operators around the country.

Duet said what he has been finding with their food banks' clients is a need for foods tailored to diabetics, and the bank has been stocking up on items that can meet that need.

Families served this year: 4,946Individuals served this year: 8,915

DeHart said at the start of this year he thought the numbers would go down as people recovered from past disasters, but by February, the figures were telling a different story. He and others at the food bank could tell the parishes were still in need, and that need was growing.

Janet Rivero, 71, and Martha Sapia, 67, were two such clients. They were seated in line outside of Churches United, 922 Sunset Ave, in Houma, Wednesday morning waiting to each get a box of food. This was Rivero's first visit to a food bank ever, and Sapia's second. The friends carpooled together to the food pantry and were chatting as they waited for it to begin distribution. Sapia is from Houma, and Rivero is from Gray.

Sapia said the cost of food was climbing so much she just needed some help, and a friend told her about Churches United.

"The cost of everything has gone so freakin' high," she said.

Both are retired and on fixed incomes, and have family members that have moved back in with them because of hard times. Rivero, for instance, has two sons in their 40s who are recently out of work. She gets her social security each month, which is just over $1,000.

Her monthly costs are as follows:Rent - $220Car Insurance - $84Life Insurance - $90Phone Bill - $20Water - $42

She also has two credit cards with debt. The price fluctuates, though she always pays at least the minimum each month. She said electricity is covered by the rent, but any random expenditure like replacing a tire on the car can really cause a problem for her.

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"That doesn't leave too much for extra expenses," Rivero said.

Others who were waiting in line were also retired, and their stories were similar. Instead of family members moving home, it was healthcare costs that were straining their budgets.

In short, for those past retirement, the cost of living is rising, but their incomes aren't.

"I know these numbers unfortunately too well," DeHart said. "The problem is there are seniors that can't afford $5 gallons of milk, they can't afford $4 loaves of bread. You know if you are on a fixed income, you're suffering hard."

The Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank distributes food from its address every Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. until close, and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until close.

Churches United also has other pantries scattered throughout the two parishes, which can be found here: https://tcufoodbank.org/distribution/.

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Charities has three locations: Thibodaux, Raceland, and Galliano. The Raceland office is located at 2084 Hwy 182. The Thibodaux office is 100 Birch St., and the Galliano office is 18210 W. Main St. Each have their own hours that can be found here: https://catholiccharitiesht.org/food.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Terrebonne and Lafourche food bank numbers continue to surge