The goal of the New Orleans chapter of Bread for the World is to organize people and collaborate with community organizations in developing solutions to poverty and hunger issues through prayer, education, advocacy and fundraising. BFW New Orleans seeks to accomplish this goal by:

• educating adults and children regarding the causes and solutions to poverty and hunger;
• networking with churches, schools and community organizations to develop community responses to issues of poverty and hunger;
• advocating for legislation at the local, state and national levels that will benefit poor and hungry people.

Our Mission

Composed of and directed by student volunteers, the Loyola University Community Action Program (LUCAP) is a campus organization having three primary goals, the first being to provide and direct volunteers in service-oriented activity within the community and the university, the second being to inform and promote involvement in the area of social justice, and the third being to aid in the volunteers' social and spiritual growth through their involvement in service and care-giving activities.

Who We Are

LUCAP offers over a dozen great ways to become actively involved in advocacy and service projects which help the Loyola, New Orleans, and Global communities. This active community is student-directed, and LUCAP volunteers work with a variety of issues in different ways, including feeding the homeless, tutoring learners of all ages, spending time with the elderly, attending protests, rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and sponsoring speakers and events for social justice. Participation in our programs provides a chance to make a real difference while attending Loyola.

OPERATION UPGRADE is summer enrichment program for 80 – 100 5th, 6th and 7th grade boys from poor families. Students identified by their principals if they fit the following criteria 1) low-income; 2) leadership skills; 3) strong academic potential. The program runs for 6 weeks, 8- noon each day.

Through its Service Project program students share their gifts, talents, energy, and enthusiasm by completing a 100-hour project to help out the poor, the sick, the elderly, the physically and mentally handicapped, and others in some way disadvantaged or disabled. The main focus of the program is that the students have direct contact with people in need. The Service Project course is scheduled as a part of the students academic curriculum during the second semester of junior year and the first semester of senior year.

REACHING OUT... The Outreach programs at the Thensted Center provide essentials like food and clothing to the economically disadvantaged. All recipients are screened carefully to assess eligibility. Programs include:

• Emergency Food Pantry
• Home Visits to elderly and shut-ins to assess needs,
• Thrift Store for clothing, furniture, and household items,
• Christmas Baskets containing food, toiletries, and household items.

BUILDING UP... Helping others to learn how to actualize their true potential is a key component of the Thensted Center mission. These programs, designed to build better lives, are geared toward both children and adults. They include:

• After School Tutorial for grades Kindergarten through 12
• The Summer Enrichment Program for children ages 6-17 offering academic and cultural recreational activities
• Counseling Services that provide sessions for individuals, families, and groups
• Empowering Seniors that includes bi-monthly education in spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and intellectual areas.

ENRICHING THE FUTURE... A community is only as strong as its people. By empowering the citizens of southern St. Landry parish, the Thensted Center helps dreams come true and helps our communities prosper. Educational Programs designed to assist in personal discovery include:

• Sub Bank and Budgeting teaches money management
• Career Education Program (CEP) helps high school students learn first-hand about career possibilities with on-the-job training.