Flavors of Our Community, Intentional Outreach & Belongingness

Hey y'all, it's Charlie with CAUW ??

On Saturday, May 18, 2024, my team at Capital Area United Way - Baton Rouge held our monthly United We Feed , food distribution event. This time, we were out in East Baton Rouge Parish serving the Gardere community of ALICE families & individuals . With the help of our premier sponsor of United We Feed, AGives! , the 501c3 affiliate of Associated Grocers Baton Rouge , and our incredible community partners, Gardere Initiative , our team of staff & volunteers were able to distribute over 200 bags of healthy food & fresh produce to families living in the Gardere community.

What made this particular distribution event special, was that it was CAUW's first, "Flavors of the Community" focused food distribution.

Inspired by The Greater Twin Cities United Way , “Flavors of our Community helps increase access to culturally specific foods, flavors and spices for neighbors experiencing hunger.”

With the Gardere community comprising majority Hispanic families, we collaborated with our community partners to intentionally provide cultural specific foods to the families in need. By doing so, we are able to provide a stronger sense of #community and #belongingness.

"My heart is bursting with thanks for another gift from CAUW and our collaborators for their contribution to the 200 produce bags and other personal items distributed?this morning in one hour instead of the two hours projected.? Thanks for being health-minded and culturally sensitive?to the food items selected; that was meaningful and touching." - Dr. Murelle G. Harrison, Executive Director, The Gardere Initiative

In addition to providing healthy food & fresh produce, CAUW also provided hygiene items, kid's activities, and even connected families & individuals to CAUW's United Way 211 Resources . With the help of two young community members, they were able to assist our team of Louisiana 211 Crisis & Care Coordinators in translating and communicating with the Spanish speaking individuals & families to ensure they were well informed with the local resources available to them.

To fully illustrate the relationship Capital Area United Way has with our community partners, just days prior to our distribution, there was a fire in the complex that displaced 4 families, but with the help of CAUW's Basic Needs Grant Funding , The Gardere Initiative was able to connect three of the families to secure housing.

"Oftentimes Americans take for granted the services that are available to us during emergencies.? When the fire started, the occupants didn't know what to do, but one of our 8th graders in the Afterschool Program immediately notified our staff and a 911 call was made. The St. George Firefighters responded within minutes. We were able to help make hotel reservations, find apartments and notify the schools. By Friday afternoon, all of our families had finalized their apartment agreements and began moving! This would not have been possible without funds from CAUW." - Dr. Murelle G. Harrison, Executive Director, The Gardere Initiative

A special thank you goes out to the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office, South Burbank Crime Prevention and Development District, Hermitage Homeowners Association, AGives!, Associated Grocers, Inc., The Gardere Initiative & Gardere community residents, as well as our CAUW staff & team of volunteers!

If you or your company is interested in volunteering, or hosting your own United We Feed distribution, please email [email protected] .