Mustard Seed Distribution Program

The Mustard Seed Food Distribution Program runs a Food Pantry and a Clothing Bank that distribute donated household goods, non-perishable foods, hygiene products, and clothes to the community. It also provides advocacy and referrals, and links residents (including those with special needs) to area resources so that their needs can be met.

The Mustard Seed Food Distribution Program currently operates Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 AM – 2 PM. The Clothes Distribution is Monday through Friday from 10AM - 3PM.

While clothes are available to anyone, if you want to receive food from this program, you must either qualify through USDA income eligibility guidelines or demonstrate membership in certain government programs such as TANF, food stamps, or disability assistance. These are the current income guidelines for receiving food:

USDA Food For Seniors Commodities Program

Low-income senior citizens age 60 and older can now sign up to receive free monthly food supplies through the Food For Families Program. Participating seniors will receive a food box on the 3rd Friday of every month. PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY SENIORS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE MUSTARD SEED FOOD PROGRAM WILL GET THE USDA BOX INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH THE PANTRY ON THE THIRD WEEK OF THE MONTH.

The contents of the food boxes may vary from month to month, but will usually include items like evaporated milk or dry milk, juice, cereal, canned meat, canned fruits and vegetables, potatoes or rice or pasta, peanut butter or dried beans, and cheese.

To enroll in the program, seniors must provide proof of their birthdate, proof of a Louisiana address, and proof of income. The income limits for this program are:

St Bernard Parish organizations participating in the Food For Families Program include the Community Center of St Bernard, First Baptist Church of Chalmette, and Christian Fellowship Worship Center. Seniors wishing to sign up for the program may bring their documentation to these locations during the following times:

  • Community Center of St Bernard, 1107 LeBeau St, Arabi on Monday-Friday from 10 AM – 4 PM.
  • First Baptist Church of Chalmette, 305 E St Bernard Hwy (Rear Entrance), Chalmette on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9 AM - Noon
  • Christian Fellowship Worship, 5816 E Judge Perez, Violet on Tuesday, and Thursday from 9am-1:00pm. On the 3rd Thursday of each month the office will be closed. You can call (504) 957-1791 to set an appointment.

Please note that participants may register at only 1 location and will pick up their food box from the location where they are registered. The distribution dates are always the third Friday of each month. Seniors who are already enrolled in the Food For Seniors Program in Orleans or Jefferson Parishes and who wish to transfer their pickup sites to a St Bernard location should talk to staff at the St Bernard enrollment sites.

Since 1970, the Food For Families Program has been Louisiana’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program. The Louisiana program is currently the largest in the country, and is designed to improve the diets and health of targeted groups of low-income individuals throughout the state. Food for Families is a collaborative effort of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, the United States Department of Agriculture, and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

For more information about the Food For Seniors/Food For Families Program, please phone 1-800-522-3333.

Food for Our Neighbors Blog

Food Pantry Job Openings

The Community Center is actively seeking 3 part-time food pantry assistants to help us keep up with the growing demand here in St Bernard Parish. These positions are available through the federal Senior Community Service Employment Program, so all applicants must be age 55 or older and meet federal income guidelines. These positions are part-time, 18 – 20 hours per week and pay minimum wage. We need 1 person to work Monday-Friday mornings from 9 AM – 1 PM, 1 person for Monday-Friday afternoons from 1 PM-5 PM, and 1 person to work 6 hours per day on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays only.

Duties include helping stock food pantry shelves, doing food inventory using a barcode scanner, and assisting clients with checkout. While lifting is limited to 20 lbs, these positions do require a fair amount of physical activity. It is helpful if applicants have some basic warehouse skills and know how to use a pallet jack. Basic computer skills are also useful, but training will be provided if needed.

To apply for these positions please stop by the Community Center and talk to Rhonda Clavo from the Council on Aging on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM – 2 PM (St Bernard Parish residents only) or stop by the Community Center office at 1107 LeBeau St, Arabi on Monday – Friday from 10 AM – 5 PM to fill out an application form (Orleans Parish residents only).

Help Fight Hunger in St Bernard

When you're buying groceries, you can do a lot of good by bringing home something to donate. Some suggestions are:

  • Protein: tuna, salmon, beef stew, spam, corned beef
  • Vegetables: greens, peas, tomatoes, corn and green beans
  • Fruit: peaches, pears and fruit cocktail
  • Other items: soups, sugar, dry milk, oatmeal, mac & cheese, dry beans, rice
  • Dietary supplements: Ensure

PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY GLASS ITEMS OR OPENED PACKAGES. THANK YOU!!!

Also, Community Center staff have set up a blog, Food For Our Neighbors, which details some of the funding shortfalls that Louisiana Food Pantries are currently facing, and the resulting food shortages. If you want to know more about the current state of food pantries like ours, and what you can do to help, please visit http://ffon.tumblr.com/

Mustard Seed Food Pantry partners with Feed the Children

The Community Center of St Bernard, 1107 LeBeau St, Arabi, is proud to announce that it has been approved as a Feed the Children Partner Agency. This new collaboration will enable the Mustard Seed Food Pantry at the Community Center of St Bernard to receive additional supplies of nonperishable food and other items for distribution to local families.

"The partnership with Feed the Children is especially important because of the tremendous need that currently exists due to both the ongoing recovery effort and the current economic crisis," notes Community Center Executive Director R.M. "Iray" Nabatoff. "During January 2009, we had 243 new families sign up for the Food Pantry. That's more than double the amount of new families who enrolled just one month earlier. Right now we're distributing about 1 ton of food each day that the Food Pantry is open."

Community Center's Mustard Seed Food Pantry, which provides weekly supplies of nonperishable food, hygiene products and household items to low-income residents, is part of the Mustard Seed Distribution Program. Residents who wish to enroll in the program must show proof of residency, proof of identification and proof of income for each family member in their households. Last year the Mustard Seed Food Pantry distributed 249,145 lbs of food to more than 5,560 unique individuals, all of whom earned less than 130% of the federal poverty limit. More details about the Mustard Seed Program are available by phoning the Community Center at 504-281-2512.

Feed The Children is one of the world's largest private humanitarian relief organizations. Founded in 1979 by Larry and Frances Jones, Feed The Children helps children and families in 118 countries around the globe by delivering food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to those affected by famine, war, poverty, or natural disaster. The heart of Feed The Children's U.S. program is distributing food to families in need. Last year, Feed The Children shipped 135 million pounds of food and other essentials to children and families in all 50 states and in 32 foreign countries, supplementing almost 800,000 meals each day worldwide.

Second Harvest/Feeding America

The Community Center of St. Bernard is proud to announce that they are a member agency of the Second Harvest Food Bank/Feeding America, which is America's largest food bank.