We take pride in living our promise by providing a healthy and wholesome eating experience.
About Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana
Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana is a non-profit human service organization that serves our community’s most vulnerable citizens throughout 16 parishes of southeast Louisiana. Since 1896, Volunteers of America has supported and empowered children and families, seniors, people with disabilities, homeless individuals, veterans, those recovering from additions and many others.
Our Unique Factors
HUMAN FACTOR
Our work energizes the mind, body, heart and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services. Fresh Food Factor is an official program of Volunteers of America and currently serves over 10,000 students by providing over 2.5 million healthy meals and snacks each year. We take great pride in implementing our joint mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through fresh food and providing jobs for our associates who are interested in pursuing a rewarding career in the food industry. We are committed to our local presence by enriching the community we serve and delivering value for our clients.
LOCAL FACTOR
For New Orleanians, delicious food is something we take for granted. Our rich food heritage is on display daily in kitchens and restaurants around the city. However, there are many citizens in our great community who do not share in our good fortune. Some families do not have the resources to give their children even one healthy meal every day.
Fresh, healthful food is a basic human right, and Volunteers of America is taking huge strides to make that right a reality though its Fresh Food Factor program. The headquarters of Fresh Food Factor is an 8,500 square foot commercial kitchen located in the historic Lykes Steamship District in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District. Through this state-of-the-art kitchen, we serve healthy meals to local students on a daily basis.
We pride ourselves in developing close working relationships with school partners in the community and delivering excellent customer service.
COST FACTOR
With increased pressure to control or cut costs, schools and care facilities are being forced to make difficult decisions about their meal programs that often involve relying on vendors who cut corners by providing processed convenience foods instead of natural, fresh products made from scratch cooking.
Our affordable menus are prepared by a licensed dietician and are composed to meet or exceed daily child nutrition requirements.
HEALTHY FACTOR
Fresh Food Factor provides healthy sustenance through a holistic service model. Our goal is to not only provide a fresh and healthy meal, but also to teach students that a healthy lifestyle begins with good eating habits balanced by exercise, diet, and the connection to mind, body, and spirit.
By providing students the opportunity to eat healthy, delicious food, we enable them to make similar positive choices for a lifetime.
WOW FACTOR
Fresh Food Factor thrives on food. We do not compromise on the quality of our food. We emphasize scratch cooking with tender loving care. The Fresh Food Factor central kitchen ensures all menus are consistent and can be replicated each time they are served. Menu selections feature local favorites cooked in a healthy way.