This is a list of non-profit and community-based organizations that are currently combatting social and environmental inequality in New Orleans through direct action. Most organizations offer various employment, volunteer, and/or some housing opportunities, which are available upon their website located in the descriptions below.
Café Reconcile
This non-profit organization is a functional, commercial restaurant that trains residents who are struggling with social and environmental trauma in building life skills, independent living skills, communication skills, and workplace skills via educational workshops, lectures, and professional instruction. Through a series of educational programs and professional culinary practice at the restaurant, applicants and members can enroll in free courses that teach resume-building, leadership skills, community dynamics, and much more. There is also an alumni support program for all graduates. At Café Reconcile, 82% of graduates from the program find jobs within a year post-graduation (according to staff members). Stipends and transportation are provided, and program participants have the chance to earn up to $1700 throughout the 8-week program. All applicants must willingly take a drug test; however, the results of these tests are simply meant to identify the most appropriate training placement, while still accommodating all applicants. This organization believes that the most common obstacles for people living with stress and trauma in New Orleans include a lack of secure housing or transportation. The culinary training program of Café Reconcile aims “to transform the lives of young adults and the community through the ministry of reconciliation, by encouraging personal growth, providing workforce development and training, promoting entrepreneurship, working with businesses, nonprofits and people of faith to support this transformation, and building strong communities through community economic development.” (Café Reconcile).
Grow Dat Youth Farm
This non-profit organization educates mainly high-school students in life skills, cooperation, and professionalism in the work place, while also training and compensating young-adults for performing the labor of outdoor agriculture and cooking. This organization also hosts fundraisers and farm-to-table dinner events, which strengthens their relationship to the surrounding community. After Hurricane Katrina, many communities started investing in communal, small-scale agriculture as a way to feed themselves and the greater community out of necessity (Nguyen, 2019). Not only is this approach effective, but it is also more sustainable than relying upon the distribution of massive industrial agriculture complexes and corporations. Located in New Orleans City Park, the multi-acre space consists of gorgeous landscapes and multiple greenhouses, farm plots, and raised beds that are well-maintained. The mission of Grow Dat Youth Farm is to “nurture a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food.” (Grow Dat Youth Farm).
Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana
As the costs of food, housing, utilities are increasing, more families remain in need of emergency food assistance in New Orleans. This national food bank network offers food distribution programs, community kitchen meal service, nutritional education, and public benefits assistance to those communities in need in the state of Louisiana. This organization supports over 700 community partners and programs across 23 perishes in Louisiana, making it one of the largest food banks in the world. Food rescue is a large part of this organization’s commitment to reducing food waste, and helps ensure that meals are making it to the table in Louisiana for many families struggling with hunger. Second Harvest estimates that they distribute nearly 32 million meals to 210k people in need per year. The mission of Second Harvest is to “end hunger by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response.” (Second Harvest).
Common Ground Relief
https://www.commongroundrelief.org
Common Ground Relief formed after Hurricane Katrina in response to the lack of relief agencies at the time. They began with serving the most basic and urgent needs by distributing water, food, personal hygiene kits, and ice to families and individuals. Soon after, this organization began administering basic healthcare to residents and cleared up many public amenities including roads, gutters, and storm drains. In more recent years, the organization has shifted their focus to the conservation of regional wetlands, which serve as a source of natural protection against storms. This network also offers educational wetlands programs, community programs, and volunteer programs for those seeking to immerse in the work of environmental restoration in Louisiana. The mission of this organization is to “create resilient Gulf Coast communities that are environmentally sustainable, financially viable and personally cohesive." (Common Ground Relief).
Green Light New Orleans http://www.greenlightneworleans.org/greenmission
This environmental organization was founded in 2006 to assist in the critical rebuilding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and also sought to offset carbon pollution from inefficient light bulbs. Green Light offers CFL light bulb installations to residential homes, which greatly reduce utility costs and energy emissions for residential communities in New Orleans. This organization of staff and volunteers have also expanded their neighborhood services and outreach by building raised backyard vegetable gardens and delivering rain barrels painted by local artists for free. Currently, around 16% of all New Orleans households participate in this community initiative, which had started out as a small, grassroots light bulb movement. This organization aims to show how multiple small-scale collective actions can bring communities closer together, while simultaneously working to enable positive environmental change. (Green Light New Orleans).
NOLA Green Roots
http://nolagreenroots.com/classifieds/
This is a membership based non-profit organization whose mission is “to build sustainable communities through gardens.” This group offers programs and classes that teach youth, low-income residents, and senior citizens how to raise chickens, construct raised beds, build compost, and use rain barrels to water gardens in a sustainable manner. This organization’s approach places especial emphasis on learning how to grow and harvest organic fruits and vegetables without any synthetic inputs - such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers. NOLA Green Roots also partners with local businesses and universities that host educational programs, and accept volunteer requests as well as donations. (NOLA Green Roots).
Conclusion: Each of these organizations uses food as a vehicle to improve upon some aspect of broader society and/or natural and built environments. This important cultural indicator has showcased a means of resilience for many marginalized, low-income communities that had struggled through the socioeconomic impacts of neo-capitalist, colonial, and assertive politics. I personally believe that an inspiring feature of Creole Culture includes a willingness to adapt and lending generous hospitality, which has the potential to break down the barriers of classist politics and distinction in the South.
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