A group of former Second Harvest of New Orleans board members and community members are now coming together with a petition against the Archbishop’s control over the nonprofit.This comes after the recently terminated leadership of Second Harvest accused the Archdiocese of New Orleans of pressuring them to use food donation money to fund the church’s bankruptcy case regarding sex abuse claims.Those behind the petition say they are trying to free the food bank.”It’s a hostage,” said Tricia Weeks, a former Second Harvest board chair. Weeks wrote a letter to the Archbishop and the community calling for action saying the mission of the food bank is in jeopardy. “I don’t know if the Second Harvest in its current incarnation can survive this,” said Weeks. “I think Feeding America will cancel its contract with what would now be the archdiocese and would start another food bank.” Weeks started with the food bank years ago as a volunteer. “I’m a Cajun girl, and what we do is feed people,” said Weeks. “The idea that there were people in our community who through no fault of their own can’t get the food that they need to stay healthy in a state where we grow food. In a state where we have abject poverty. But there is access to resources that it was very compelling for John and me that this organization was so very good at linking resources to people who needed them.”Second Harvest Food Bank leads the fight against hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response. Second Harvest provides food and support to 500-plus community partners and programs across 23 parishes, distributing more than 40 million meals a year. In her time with the nonprofit, Weeks has seen donations from all kinds of people wanting to help the food bank’s mission, with donations as low as $10 to as recently as $25 million.”Hundreds or thousands of those people, and they are regular folks who may at some point been clients of the food banks and understand its value,” said Weeks. “They are not rich people. These are people who care about their community, and that has been the real source of strength.”In a video from the Archbishop, he says the recent removals and move for more authority were necessary and the nonprofit, which feeds 23 parishes in the state, has an option to buy itself out from the archdiocese.But if that is the case, Weeks says it will leave an impact on donations going forward.”I think it will affect donations going into the food bank, which is a crying shame,” said Weeks. “But the Archbishop can fix this. If the Archdiocese of New Orleans comes in and takes or redirects some of the assets of Second Harvest Food Bank. That’s not going to affect just people in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. That is going to affect people in all of the parishes to the West of here. That’s not appropriate, at least not without those folks understanding what’s happening.”So Weeks has created a free Second Harvest website and petition where hundreds have already signed within hours. She’s recommending community members to share their opinion with the archdiocese.Weeks says she has one request. “Please, for the sake of those 400,000 Louisianians in need, including many children and the elderly, rescind these hateful actions and leave Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana,” said Weeks.WDSU has reached out to the archbishop for comment or an interview on the petition or the new site, but we have not heard back. In an archdiocese press release sent out after the creation of the website it states the following:”I want to assure the community that the mission of Second Harvest Food Bank is critical and that neither I, nor anyone associated with the archdiocese, would ever do anything to impede the organization from fulfilling its mission. We are not asking Second Harvest to do anything that would be contrary to that mission and will always honor the wishes of donors and all grants and contracts. As I have publicly stated, no demand for settlement funds has been made and no donor funds from Second Harvest have been used or will be used to fund the archdiocese’s bankruptcy proceedings.”Conversations around the future of Second Harvest’s relationship to the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the terms of a formal separation are ongoing. A committee of the Board of Directors is being formed and will be tasked to explore all options and opportunities and will make recommendations about how best to move forward. I remain open to this conversation and look forward to hearing their recommendations.”In the past five years, the church has sold more than $13 million worth of properties as it raises funds to pay survivors.
A group of former Second Harvest of New Orleans board members and community members are now coming together with a petition against the Archbishop’s control over the nonprofit.
This comes after the recently terminated leadership of Second Harvest accused the Archdiocese of New Orleans of pressuring them to use food donation money to fund the church’s bankruptcy case regarding sex abuse claims.
Those behind the petition say they are trying to free the food bank.
“It’s a hostage,” said Tricia Weeks, a former Second Harvest board chair. Weeks wrote a letter to the Archbishop and the community calling for action saying the mission of the food bank is in jeopardy.
“I don’t know if the Second Harvest in its current incarnation can survive this,” said Weeks. “I think Feeding America will cancel its contract with what would now be the archdiocese and would start another food bank.”
Weeks started with the food bank years ago as a volunteer.
“I’m a Cajun girl, and what we do is feed people,” said Weeks. “The idea that there were people in our community who through no fault of their own can’t get the food that they need to stay healthy in a state where we grow food. In a state where we have abject poverty. But there is access to resources that it was very compelling for John and me that this organization was so very good at linking resources to people who needed them.”
Second Harvest Food Bank leads the fight against hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response. Second Harvest provides food and support to 500-plus community partners and programs across 23 parishes, distributing more than 40 million meals a year.
In her time with the nonprofit, Weeks has seen donations from all kinds of people wanting to help the food bank’s mission, with donations as low as $10 to as recently as $25 million.
“Hundreds or thousands of those people, and they are regular folks who may at some point been clients of the food banks and understand its value,” said Weeks. “They are not rich people. These are people who care about their community, and that has been the real source of strength.”
In a video from the Archbishop, he says the recent removals and move for more authority were necessary and the nonprofit, which feeds 23 parishes in the state, has an option to buy itself out from the archdiocese.
But if that is the case, Weeks says it will leave an impact on donations going forward.
“I think it will affect donations going into the food bank, which is a crying shame,” said Weeks. “But the Archbishop can fix this. If the Archdiocese of New Orleans comes in and takes or redirects some of the assets of Second Harvest Food Bank. That’s not going to affect just people in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. That is going to affect people in all of the parishes to the West of here. That’s not appropriate, at least not without those folks understanding what’s happening.”
So Weeks has created a free Second Harvest website and petition where hundreds have already signed within hours. She’s recommending community members to share their opinion with the archdiocese.
Weeks says she has one request. “Please, for the sake of those 400,000 Louisianians in need, including many children and the elderly, rescind these hateful actions and leave Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana,” said Weeks.
WDSU has reached out to the archbishop for comment or an interview on the petition or the new site, but we have not heard back.
In an archdiocese press release sent out after the creation of the website it states the following:
“I want to assure the community that the mission of Second Harvest Food Bank is critical and that neither I, nor anyone associated with the archdiocese, would ever do anything to impede the organization from fulfilling its mission. We are not asking Second Harvest to do anything that would be contrary to that mission and will always honor the wishes of donors and all grants and contracts. As I have publicly stated, no demand for settlement funds has been made and no donor funds from Second Harvest have been used or will be used to fund the archdiocese’s bankruptcy proceedings.
“Conversations around the future of Second Harvest’s relationship to the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the terms of a formal separation are ongoing. A committee of the Board of Directors is being formed and will be tasked to explore all options and opportunities and will make recommendations about how best to move forward. I remain open to this conversation and look forward to hearing their recommendations.”
In the past five years, the church has sold more than $13 million worth of properties as it raises funds to pay survivors.
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