Thank You to the Louisiana National Guard for Making a Tremendous Impact
In response to the COVID-19 shutdown back in March of 2020, the Louisiana Nation Guard was deployed to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to temporarily assist with preparation and distribution of emergency food boxes for families in need. What was thought to be a temporary assignment quickly turned into a two-year operation as multiple strands of COVID-19 continued to evolve and spread through the country.
Now with the threat of COVID-19 appearing to decline to its lowest number of cases to date, the Louisiana National Guard is moving on from its deployment with the Food Bank. We are very thankful for each member of the guard who has worked so diligently over the last 24 months to make sure food reached those in need, especially during a time when recruiting new volunteers was a challenge due to the constraints of the virus.
In their two years of service, it is important to note not only the impact of boxes and meals distributed by the LANG to those who are food insecure but also the relationships made along the way.
Since March of 2020, the LANG has distributed more than 6.8 million pounds of food, providing more than 5.6 million meals across our 11-parish service area. In addition, two members of the guard have since joined our team at the Food Bank in full-time positions.
SFC Ruben Mullins joined the Food Bank team since his initial deployment but also remains active in his role with the Louisiana National Guard. Mullins now serves as the Operations Manager for the warehouse.
“Throughout the two years we were here, we helped thousands of families during the pandemic. That is why we do what we do,” said Mullins. “It is an unbelievable feeling to continue to serve the community by having the opportunity to have a career here at GBRFB. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this outstanding organization.”
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the Louisiana National Guard for their passion and inspirational work ethic in helping us fulfill our mission at a time that was most difficult for everyone in our community. We appreciate their efforts and hope to be able to fill their boots by recruiting new volunteers into the fold as we grow and move forward.
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