Will Phillips
Minden Press-Herald
The first Kids Night at the Joe LeBlanc Food Pantry took place Tuesday night, where dozens of kids came out with their parents to take part in community service together. The Kids Night is an event that the food pantry has been putting on for six years now.
“The vision of it was to give parents an opportunity to introduce their kids to community service in a way that they would have fun and that they would remember. It’s usually wild and crazy but totally worth it when the kids enjoy it so much that they return each year or connect with us so much that their whole family comes to our monthly distributions,” said Jessica Lewis, Director of the Joe LeBlanc Food Pantry.
According to Lewis, the first Kids Night this week went well. “Night one of the JLFP Kids Night was a great success! We had kids from Minden, Haughton and Bossier come to the event. Altogether the kids packed 140 of our bags for the Christmas distribution coming up this Saturday, Dec. 21,” said Lewis,
“Round number two will be this Thursday starting at 6 p.m. There are still plenty of seats open for those that would like to register. We will provide dinner, crafts, and pictures with Mr. And Mrs. Claus. The event is expected to last about an hour to an hour and a half.”
The event is best suited for ages three and older. Teenagers are welcome to come to the pantry during Kids Night to get volunteer hours. The event is free, but the Joe LeBlanc Food Pantry asks that parents register on the link on their Facebook page so they have a headcount for the event.