The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy nationwide, causing more people to become food insecure than ever before. The residents of New Orleans were no exception to this.

Revolution Foods leveraged public-private partnerships to provide much needed food assistance to the residents of New Orleans. We worked with the City of New Orleans, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local restaurants to provide daily meals to NOLA residents impacted by the pandemic.

The Challenge

 In the city of New Orleans, unemployment rate at one point was as high as 18.8%, resulting in many NOLA residents not being able to put food on their table. Local nonprofits had stepped up to support the community, but they were struggling to meet the unprecedented demand for healthy meals in support of seniors, adults with special medical needs, individuals exposed to COVID, homeless residents, and children.

What We Did 

We helped establish a one-of-a-kind program with various public and private partners. With funding from FEMA and the support of the City of New Orleans, we partnered with Chef’s Brigade, a coalition of 100+ local restaurants, to prepare 20,000 fresh, nutritious adult and senior meals daily. The meals provided included regional favorites and culturally relevant dishes such as red beans and rice with sausage, smoked pulled pork with macaroni, and cheese and corn maque choux.

 Local eateries and restaurants (many of which are BIPOC- and/or woman-owned) joined forces with 90+ of our NOLA teammates and 100+ local drivers to nourish NOLA residents. To reach the most vulnerable populations, we partnered with the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) and d’Livery NOLA to provide door-to-door delivery services to residents in need.

The Results 

The New Orleans meal program started in July 2020 and has been nourishing 20,000 adults and seniors every day. Our unique partnerships also created job opportunities for the local community, with at least 500 local residents being employed who may have otherwise been out of work due to the pandemic.

If you’re interested in partnering with Revolution Foods to bring healthy meals to your community, contact us today!