On one of the first cool mornings of November, dozens of cars lined up at Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic Church in Sulphur to receive a food donation with everything they need to fill the Thanksgiving table.

The last stop of the annual Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana holiday food distribution event started early Friday morning. This tradition started a few years ago when Southwest Louisiana was in the midst of hurricane recovery, said Sister Marie Josepha, RSM, director, Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana.

Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana was able to expand its reach with grants after Hurricanes Laura and Delta. The team set up several distribution sites in the five-parish region after the storms to make sure civilians had access to food and supplies. As recovery died down, they decided to stay established in those communities and continue their mission.

Each month, they hold 12 food distributions at 11 sites throughout Southwest Louisiana, but the holiday distribution is the largest (and most exciting) of the year. In November, registered food bank clients receive a turkey alongside nonperishable foods and fresh produce.

“They look forward to it every year.”

She said the turkeys are a “truly special” part of the Thanksgiving distributions, but this is not a feat Catholic Charities has accomplished alone.

With Chevron’s support, Catholic Charities was able to provide just over 1,800 families in the Southwest Louisiana area — more than 4,000 individuals — a Thanksgiving turkey. This is a generosity that Chevron has provided the event since 2020. This year, Chevron donated $50,000.

In addition, to aid from major industry leaders like Chevron, Josepha said they rely on food from the United States Department of Agriculture, as well as local businesses, churches, schools and individuals. The altruistic network between Catholic Charities, local industry and community institutions is the lifeblood of the food distributions.

“There’s no one organization that can meet the needs of all of Southwest Louisiana,” she said. “I really see this as God working through these people, through all of these community partners, to not only see the needs that exist in their own community, but to also do something about it.

“To me, it is God’s mercy being poured out of all of Southwest Louisiana through all of these partnerships that are really working together to care for the poor.”

One of the most “beautiful” aspects of the food distribution program is that it is run by volunteers, she added.

“It’s really the people in the community giving back to the people in the community.”

One of those volunteering community members is retired Calcasieu Parish School Board employee Kathy Breaux. She was one of the first volunteers to work at the Sulphur site, and her CPSB experience in child nutrition made the transition to volunteering smooth, she said.

Her community is tight-knit and generous, and she is grateful to be an active witness to the impact the food distribution has on her neighbors.

“Every time you leave your house, you see the need,” she explained. “To be able to give back is really just a blessing … To see the people just really appreciate you … it just keeps you coming back. It makes it all worth it.”

For volunteer Heather Hess, the food distribution is more than an opportunity to give back – it is an opportunity to receive.

She is also a food distribution recipient. She and her family moved to Sulphur soon after she had her second child. During that time, they faced hardship and turned to Catholic Charities for aid. She was pleased to be greeted with smiles and zero judgment. And since volunteering has been a lifelong habit of hers, she was quick to step in and help.

In the season of giving (and all year round), those in need should turn to community generosity, she said.

“Don’t be scared to come get help … It’s okay to ask for help … I was scared in the beginning, and now I’m so thankful that I did it.”

Josepha said that Sulphur is the second-largest distribution site in SWLA. 270 food kits were passed out at the site on Friday, said Breaux.