BCF Awards $358,000 in Grants to 30 Nonprofits

The Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) awarded grants totaling $358,000 to 30 nonprofit organizations yesterday to fill critical needs like hunger, homelessness and mental health care in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle. This year’s total is the largest ever awarded by the Foundation in its 12-year history of the Annual Nonprofit Grants Program, and brings BCF’s total investment in critical community programs and hurricane recovery efforts to more than $12 million since 2013. 2024 List of grantees

“Today we celebrate our local nonprofits who work tirelessly to help the neediest among us and demonstrate the compassion and resiliency of our unique Bayou community,” said President Henry Lafont. “Thanks to the amazing generosity of our donors, Bayou Community Foundation is thrilled to present impactful grants to these 30 organizations for a total of $358,000, our largest grants program to date.”

BCF’s 2024 grants fund nonprofit programs that feed the hungry, house the homeless, provide low-cost or no-cost counseling and addiction treatment for under-resourced men and women of our area, and address other critical needs identified in the Foundation’s 2023 Community Needs Assessment. Grants support important nonprofit initiatives such as education and training for under-served residents in our rural communities, financial assistance to help low-income residents pay utility bills and housing expenses, community gardens to provide fresh vegetables to residents in need, and water survival education to stem a growing risk of drownings in our bayou communities.

This year, addressing the alarming rise in food insecurity in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle has been a priority for BCF, and 40 percent of the grants awarded today fund food distribution at local food banks and pantries. TCU Food Bank received the largest grant at $40,000 to buy and distribute food to thousands of men, women and children in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

“Since 2020, hunger in our area has increased dramatically, especially among the working poor. TCU served 31,000 people last year and, at our current pace will serve 36,000 people in the Bayou Region this year. We provide nutritional complete food packages for ten different locations throughout Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, plus two weekly distributions at our main campus,” said TCU Food Bank Executive Director Daisy Cheramie.  “This tremendous BCF grant helps us feed many more hungry people, it’s as simple as that. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to Bayou Community Foundation for these crucial funds on behalf of TCU, the pantries we represent and the many people we serve.”

Donors to BCF’s grants program include The Gheens Foundation, Woodside Energy, Chevron, Callais Family Fund and many local individuals, families and businesses who are passionate about elevating the lives of local residents and strengthening our entire community.

“Woodside Energy is proud to be a funding partner of the Bayou Community Foundation’s 2024 Annual Grants Program and remains committed to supporting their ongoing efforts at filling critical needs in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle,” said Robert Young, Woodside Energy Head of Corporate Affairs International. “We congratulate all thirty nonprofit organizations that received grant awards and thank them and BCF for their continued work to improve the wellbeing of local residents and strengthen the sustainability of these important coastal communities.”

“At Chevron, we believe in contributing to the communities where we live and work,” said Leah Brown, Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. “We’re proud to support the Bayou Community Foundation and their mission to build and sustain Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle. We look forward seeing the positive impact these grants will produce in the near term, as well as what we can continue to accomplish together in the future.”

“This is truly the most wonderful day of the year for Bayou Community Foundation!  We are grateful to our grantees for the life-changing services they deliver to men, women and children in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle. We are also overwhelmed with appreciation for each and every donor to BCF and our Grants Fund who have opened their hearts and their pocketbooks to fill critical needs and help us create a vibrant and diverse coastal community where all can thrive.  Together, we are growing good right here at home,” said BCF Executive Director Jennifer Armand.

The following 30 organizations received grants from BCF totaling $358,000 during a ceremony today at Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever:

32nd JDC Family Preservation Court – $5,000 – Transportation, housing, childcare assistance to support family reunification

A Place of Restoration – $10,000 – Appliances for newly constructed dormitory at substance abuse treatment center in Gray

Bags of Hope – $6,000 – Expansion of food distribution to a total of 12 Terrebonne Parish public schools

Bayou Civic Club – $15,000 – Installation of new doors for security of & access to senior programs at Larose Civic Center

Bayou Region Parent Support – $2,500 – Funds the purchase and distribution of diapers to families in need

Bayou Youth Equity Foundation – $10,000 – Food & hygiene supply distribution at 4 Terrebonne public schools and Nicholls

Beacon Light Baptist Church of Houma – $6,000 – Distribution of food at food pantry in northern Terrebonne Parish

Bless Your Heart Nonprofit – $20,000 – Assist families transitioning from hurricane sheltering programs to private rentals

Bunkhouse Shelter, Inc. – $10,000 – Emergency shelter and hot meals for homeless in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes

CASA of Terrebonne – $6,000 –  Recruit, train, and support volunteer court appointed special victim advocates

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma – Thibodaux – $20,000 – Individual housing and utility payment assistance

Colonel Closet at Nicholls State University – $10,000 – Distribution of food, hygiene and household items to students in need

Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center – $10,000 – Parenting program and essential baby supplies for families in need

Faith Ministries, International – $6,000 –  Food & household supplies distributed to northern Terrebonne & Lafourche residents

Firm Foundation of Houma – $10,000 –  Storage, signage, seating and security equipment for Houma homeless day shelter

Fletcher Technical Community College – $20,000 – Tuition assistance & supplies for 10 students in Phlebotomy program

Friends of P.A.C.T. Place – $4,500 – Resources for local social service providers who work with families in crisis

Grand Island Garden Club – $5,000 – Equipment and supplies for Grand Isle community garden

Hope Center – $6,000 – Distribution of food in South Lafourche and purchase of pantry equipment and supplies

Les Reflections Du Bayou – $12,000 – Braxton’s Gift for Life water survival education for youth and adult non-swimmers

Lifted by Love – $20,000 – Distribution of formula and baby supplies to young, low-income mothers in Lafourche & Terrebonne

Live Oak Baptist Church – $6,000 – Distribution of food & household supplies to residents in need in Montegut area

New Life Counseling Center – $15,000 – Fund 428 counseling sessions to Lafourche and Grand Isle residents in need

One Day at a Time Group – $8,000 – Educational materials for substance use disorder recovery program in South Lafourche

Rebuilding Together Bayou – $20,000 – Roof repair for 10 homes of low-income residents in Lafourche & Terrebonne

Second Harvest Food Bank – $30,000 – Distribution of 6 million pounds of food to Lafourche/Terrebonne/Grand Isle partners

St. Francis Vegetable Garden – $6,000 – Maintenance of 4 community gardens providing fresh produce to area food banks

TCU Food Bank – $40,000 – Food distribution at 11 sites across Terrebonne and Lafourche feeding 36,000 people

Wallace Community Center – $13,000 – Beyond the Bell after-school program for at-risk youth in Lafourche Alidore community

We Can All Ring – $6,000 – Programmable keyboard for Bayou Bell Ringers serving individuals with disabilities in Lafourche