Winn-Dixie, the New Orleans Saints and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana will officially launch the 5th annual food drive with the donation of a truckload of food from Winn-Dixie, followed by a family festival on Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 5-7 pm.
The event takes place at Winn-Dixie store at 5901 Airline Highway, Metairie, LA 70003 (directly across from the Saints facility).
"As the official supermarket of the New Orleans Saints, Winn-Dixie is committed to working together as a team to make a difference in the community by helping those in need," said Joey Medina, Winn-Dixie's regional vice president, west region.
"To put this donation into perspective, 41,000 pounds of food can provide over 32,000 meals to those less fortunate," said Natalie Jayroe, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana. "We will distribute more than 19 million meals this year to meet the increased needs in our community, and we encourage everyone to help accomplish that goal."
Saints Owner and Executive Vice President Rita Benson LeBlanc, Winn-Dixie regional Vice President, West Region Joey Medina, Second Harvest Food Bank CEO and President Natalie Jayroe, Hall of Famer and Saints alumni player Rickey Jackson, along with Saints players, the Saintsations, and Gumbo the mascot will be in attendance.
Attendees are encouraged to donate canned goods at the event. Donors wi will be entered for a chance to win several raffle items, including autographed Saints memorabilia.
Canned goods can be donated at 31 Winn-Dixie stores in the greater New Orleans area.
Food drive runs from November 1 through November 30; a special collection will be held at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 4 before the game vs. the Detroit Lions.
About Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., is one of the nation's largest food retailers. Founded in 1925, the Company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. The Company currently operates 480 retail grocery locations, including 380 in-store pharmacies, in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi. For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.
About Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is leading the fight against hunger in south Louisiana through food distribution, education, advocacy and disaster response. Annually, Second Harvest serves approximately 263,000 people through 240 nonprofit and faith-based agencies across 23 south Louisiana parishes — from the Mississippi border to the Texas state line. In any given week, nearly 42,000 people access emergency food services through Second Harvest Food Bank member agencies.
