Louisiana Farm Bureau To Donate Food To Ronald McDonald Charities in New Orleans, Monroe

Story by Neil Melancon

BATON ROUGE – Ronald McDonald House Charities in Monroe and New Orleans will receive food donations from the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation in honor of “Our Food Link,” formerly National Food Checkout Week.

 “Our Food Link” is an initiative by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Louisiana Farm Bureau that connects consumers to their sources of food and fiber.  The donations to the Ronald McDonald House Charities are part of a larger initiative which brings attention to the fact that most Americans are now three generations removed from the farm.

“Many Americans don’t really realize that someone has to grow the food we eat,” said Denise Cannatella, chair of the Louisiana Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee.  “Our Food Link is an attempt to reengage all Americans about where their food comes from.  For farmers it’s a way of life, but many in our country think that food comes from the grocery store.”

The events are scheduled for Tuesday, March 8 in Monroe and Tuesday, March 22 in New Orleans.  The Louisiana Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee plans to donate more than $2,000 worth of food and other items to the RMH charities, which provides lodging for out-of-state parents and siblings of children undergoing critical medical procedures at local hospitals.

The Louisiana Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, has been involved in such donations since 1998.  To date the organization has donated nearly $100,000 in food and money to food banks, veteran’s homes and other charities to promote the importance of agriculture to the state and nation.

The Monroe donation begins at 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 10, while the New Orleans event will be held Wednesday, March 25, beginning at 10 a.m.

 “We get so much positive feedback from the people at these charities,” Cannatella said.  “We also get an opportunity to prove just how generous our farmers are.  This is just one way farmers and ranchers get involved in their local communities throughout the year.”

For more information about the Farm Bureau’s involvement in “Our Food Link,” contact Megan Gravois, assistant director of field services for the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, at 225-922-6213 or Neil Melancon, news director, at 225-922-6498.

The Ronald McDonald House in Monroe can be contacted at 318-387-6220.  The New Orleans RMH can be contacted at 504-486-6668.  The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation is a private, non-profit organization representing the state’s farmers, ranchers and rural residents.