Saturday Holiday Meal Giveaway

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - The Baton Rouge Disaster Resource Group and the United Way of Southwest Louisiana is preparing a massive meal giveaway Saturday, December 18th, for families impacted by hurricanes Laura and Delta.

“It’s one of the worst hit spots I’ve ever seen working in this business about 13 or 14 years now,” says Dondi McNulty, Baton Rouge Disaster Resource Group corporate chef. “Lake Charles is still bad off, it needs Louisiana’s help; but it also needs federal help from around the country. People have forgotten about Lake Charles.”

Volunteers are portioning and packing holiday meals to distribute to 2,000 families. These free meals are complete with rotisserie turkeys with all the trimmings.

“We’re doing between 16 to 20 thousand meals,” says McNulty. “Each meal feeds between 8 and 10, depends on how big of an eater you are. It’s a whole 18-wheeler of turkeys to put it in perspective for everybody. 6,000 pounds of green beans, 6,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, it’s a lot of product, 2,000 pecan pies.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meals will be distributed at the back of the Lake Charles Civic Center. Vehicles will park in a pickup line and meals will be distributed drive-thru style.

“They are doing the toy giveaway, as well. It will all be in the same line, so you get the family meal along with a toy.”

The food giveaway takes place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday. Volunteers are asking those interested in picking up a meal to enter the Civic Center through the north side of the facility and follow the signs to get their food.

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