Team Leader: Sami Parbhoo Funded Date: November 8, 2025 Amount: $3,500 Location: Lafayette, LA
Progress
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Project Description
A one evening festival of flavors and culture from around the globe. In collaboration with Festival International, UL and local international organizations, we will celebrate the rich and diverse international cultures that reside here in our community. And what better way to do so than with food?
The concept is to have 8-12 different communities (Lao, Nigerian, Indian, Lebanese, Persian, Filipino,etc.) set up a tent and sell food items that would be sold as street food in their respective countries. Each community/tent would have 1-2 items that cost $1-$3. They would be just small tastes so that the food lovers have enough room in their bellies to try multiple things from multiple countries. All money raised from the food sales would go to the community or their organization to strengthen them and help them have a budget to do more things throughout the year. In these times of rising xenophobia, the best antidote is knowledge, and food is one of the best ways to bridge gaps and share culture. This would be a way for different communities to meet, eat and connect.
We would host this festival downtown on the eve of Festival International, serving as a kickoff to one of the most exciting events in Lafayette. The festival will also function as a fundraiser, supporting local international community organizations and a nonprofit that welcomes international dignitaries during official visits. Our hope is to raise enough funds annually to send local musicians to international festivals as cultural ambassadors, showcasing Lafayette’s rich music and heritage to the world.
Feeding Others: Outreach and Distribution (F.O.O.D.)
Project Details
Team Leader: Leonardo Meza-Juarez Funded Date: November 8, 2025 Amount: $3,700 Location: Lafayette, LA
Progress
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Project Description
Feeding Others: Outreach and Distribution (F.O.O.D.) is an organization of volunteers passionate about preventing food waste and improving equitable access to food in our local communities. F.O.O.D. focuses on community engagement, education, and empowerment in developing and sustaining mutual aid food pantries and fridges throughout Acadiana. Once pantries and fridges are established and added to the network, F.O.O.D. volunteers rescue and distribute surplus food to locations throughout the network.
Since implementation two years ago F.O.O.D., in partnership with Lafayette Community Fridge, has grown to have relationships with a variety of restaurants, local stores, community organizations, and events (such as Festival International) for surplus food rescue. The organization is now facing the amazing opportunity to expand our reach. In recent months, donations have exceeded fridge and pantry capacity, leading to the need to add more distribution locations to our network.
Food waste is a significant problem both nationwide and locally. Across the country, approximately 40% of food produced is wasted. Much of the estimated 125 to 160 billion pounds of food wasted every year is edible and nutritious, and is only wasted due to issues such as overproduction, processing issues, and overbuying. While billions of pounds of usable food is wasted, approximately 12% of Americans are experiencing food insecurity. This rate is higher (18%) in Louisiana, meaning that more than 800,000 Louisiana residents don’t have access to sufficient food to feed themselves and their families. Adding community fridge/pantry locations on the north side of Lafayette will increase food access for the families in those communities, while also reducing local food waste.
While providing for the immediate need of food for families is an important endeavor, the project will have a broader and more sustainable impact. By engaging the community in establishing and maintaining the fridges/pantries, the project will help to promote community-centric neighborhood networks, increase opportunities for mutual aid, and empower residents to care for each other and their communities.
The Healthy Acadiana Seed Library is a free program committed to increasing our community’s ability to feed ourselves wholesome food by offering seeds and education. Through the time-honored tradition of seed saving we celebrate biodiversity, nurture locally adapted plant varieties, and foster community resilience, self-reliance, and a culture of sharing.
The Seed Library operates on the honor system. You become a member automatically when you withdraw seeds to plant. We will encourage all members to save their seeds, donate them back to the library, and repeat.
Project Details
Team Leader: Angela Morrison Funded Date: November 5, 2022 Amount: $2,000 Location: Lafayette, LA
Dear Community,We are thrilled to announce that Healthy Acadiana's Seed Library has officially launched, and the response has been incredible! We are delighted to witness the enthusiasm and participation of our community members as they embrace the opportunity to...
Dear Community, Team Seed Library checking in again to update you on our progress! With every intention of sounding cheesy- the SEED that was planted at our Healthy Acadiana Coalition meeting back in June of 2022 has really GROWN! We can’t thank all of you...
Dear Community, The Seed Library is growing! We are still in awe of the magic that the 24 Hr. Citizen Project gave to us. Between our conversations with the experts, the community support, and the other amazing teams we are so excited to see what’s to come for all of...
We’ve all heard the common phrase “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade”. The Lemonade Stand Project will allow youth to use their lemons to make a difference instead! By combining lessons on entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, basic construction, and quality control, youth at the Granberry Boys & Girls Club will build a lemonade stand brand and use the proceeds to impact local community initiatives.
There are nearly 1,500 nonprofit organizations listed in Lafeyette alone. Those organizations serve missions rooted in education, youth development, homelessness, hunger, and plenty of other meaningful services. Today, youth struggle to identify where to fit into the equation and how to make an impact while gaining useful skills in the process. The Lemonade Stand Project will allow youth to do just that! The club will partner with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Louisiana Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Center to deliver lessons and mentorship to participating youth to teach them important skills to develop their lemonade brand and business. Youth will then implement those lessons to pitch three lemonade stands across Acadiana on National Lemonade Day! 30% of each sale will remain in business to purchase supplies for the next year. Our teams of kids will spilt 10%. The last 60% will be donated to a community organization determined by participating youth. The first step of the project will be to devise a business plan for the lemonade stand. In the process, youth will gain valuable business skills, earn some money, and make a difference all through this project!
Project Details
Team Leader: Micah Nicholas Funded Date: November 6, 2021 Amount: $3,315 Location: Lafayette, LA
Jackie Unit - Lemonade Stand 12 participantsFunds raised: $706.40 (353 cups of lemonade)Charity of choice: The Outreach Center of Lafayette (Contact-Director, Bruce Gilcrease) 75% to The Outreach Center of Lafayette - $529.80 25% to kids for group celebration -...
September 1st 2022 Dear Community, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana is launching a month-long entrepreneurship program at our two Lafayette Clubs, thanks to the 24-Hour Citizen Project. One of our premier programs at the Boys & Girls Club is “Career Launch”....
Dear Community, We have been very busy since our last update! We were able to begin planning for our big day: August 20! Our kids are eager to get started and begin partnering with businesses to promote our lemonade stand. We will begin the entrepreneurship classes...
Dear Community, Our club kids and families are still riding the excitement of being funded! It was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of our year. Over the last few weeks, we have made progress on our project in preparation of the August 22nd event. We’ve shared...
The Oasis Pantry will serve as an alternative food resource for the Oasis Community. Constructed in an easily accessible location within the neighborhood, this unit will feature cool items, nonperishables, and fresh fruit and vegetables. The pantry will also include a Dropbox for area residents to give donations throughout the week. While we welcome all community members to partake and participate in this initiative, its centralized location will allow safe and easy accessibility to our community’s most vulnerable population, children under the age of 14.The food pantry would not only be a way to curb hunger but to show love & compassion. We at Oasis believe that we can help the problem by becoming the internal solution. Being proactive in this time is critical and needed. Showing love and hope is not only rewarding but appreciated by the ones receiving. It is our hope that this pantry will also be a cycle of hope in our community in that when families utilize the resources of the pantry and are able to get back on their feet, they can invest back into the pantry for other families in need.The oasis food pantry is not only a way for us to give back to the community, but for the community to give back to itself. Our hope is that this initiative will spark community engagement, pride and unification.
The idea for constructing this neighborhood pantry is not only for needy families in our community but for the homeless population existing in our community. We have a heavy presence of homeless people in our community and the pantry is to be the hand up they need, continuing the restoration in our community. We desire for our residents to see Oasis Pantry as a reservoir and source of hope, healing and restoration.
Project Details
Team Leader: Valerie Lewis / Josh Edmond Funded Date: November 6, 2021 Amount: $2,500 Location: Lafayette, LA
Dear Oasis Community, It’s happening. IT’S HERE! The Oasis Food Pantry started as a vision to sow into our community and serve as an additional resource to our residents. We wrote the vision, made it plain, pitched our plan, got funded – and pushed forward to the...
Dear Community, We’re gearing up for an exciting summer in Oasis! In addition to multiple activities planned by local and government organizations for our community in the coming months, we’re moving full steam ahead with the Oasis Food Pantry. Our vision is for the...
Dear Community, Great things are on the horizon for our Oasis Community. Despite our Coterie’s limited visibility since the onset of COVID-19, we’ve not lost sight of our commitment to our community. Many of you may recall providing us with valuable feedback as to...
