Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is the largest hunger-relief organization in south Louisiana. It serves 23 parishes, from New Orleans across the coastal parishes that face both chronic poverty and hurricane exposure, reaching more than 436,000 people a year through 700-plus community partners. Beyond food, it runs advocacy, nutrition education, and a serious disaster-response operation, since this is a region where the next storm is never far off. Jon J. Toups serves as interim President and CEO as the organization searches for a permanent leader.
Second Harvest sources food at scale and distributes it across 23 parishes through more than 700 community partners, supplemented by its own programs. In a region defined by hurricanes, it doubles as a disaster-response operation, pre-positioning food and standing up emergency distributions when storms hit the Gulf Coast. It also runs a community kitchen and advocacy and nutrition programs aimed at the causes of hunger.
The organization is in a leadership transition. Jon J. Toups was named interim President and CEO in early 2025, and the board has been searching for a permanent leader. The handover came amid a compounding 2025 crisis, as federal food-program cuts removed supply at the same time demand rose across south Louisiana.
The 23-parish service area covers New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the Acadiana region around Lafayette, and the coastal parishes. Louisiana ranks near the bottom nationally on food security, and the coastal communities face the added instability of hurricanes and a home-insurance crisis that strains family budgets. Second Harvest is the backbone of the emergency food system across that stretch.
Yes. Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member with a long operating record. Donors can review its financials through Charity Navigator and GuideStar. Bulk buying and donated food mean a gift produces many meals.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through no-hunger.org. Volunteers are especially important during hurricane response, and cash gifts give the organization flexibility to buy what is needed when a storm hits.
Second Harvest covers the largest territory in Louisiana, 23 south Louisiana parishes including New Orleans. The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank covers the Baton Rouge metro, and the Food Bank of Central Louisiana covers the Alexandria region. For anyone in the New Orleans or Acadiana areas, Second Harvest is the lead organization.
700+ community partners across 23 parishes.
Pre-positioned food and emergency distributions for hurricanes.
Prepared meals from donated and purchased food.
Programs aimed at the causes of hunger.
Sources: Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana website (no-hunger.org), ProPublica (EIN 72-0956468), and Fox 8 reporting on the interim CEO appointment. We are not affiliated with Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
More Louisiana and food-bank resources