A New Orleans Police truck filled with donated food travels the parade routes before and after parades so officers can grab something to eat during their long shifts. The truck was set up by the New Orleans Polie and Justice Foundation. You can donate on their website or at their headquarters. (Photo by Sofia Samayoa)
By Sofia Samayoa
Loyola Student News Service
While keeping people safe and keeping the parades in line, many New Orleans police officers patrolling during Carnival have no time to eat during their 8- to 12-hour shifts.
To provide some relief, the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation created “Adopt-A-Cop,” so people can donate food or money to help feed the officers while they patrol the parade routes.
“We try to bring the food to them,” said Melanie Talia, executive director of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation.
The donations can be made on the website, a minimum of $10, or food brought directly to the foundation at 141 Robert E. Lee Boulevard, Suite 210.
A New Orleans Police truck filled with donated food travels the parade routes before and after parades so officers can grab something to eat during their long shifts. The truck was set up by the New Orleans Polie and Justice Foundation. You can donate on their website or at their headquarters. (Photo by Sofia Samayoa)
“Many donations have come in, even from people who don’t live in New Orleans,” said Talia.
Trinity Episcopal School donated time and prepared brown bags to have on the police food truck to distribute later. The kids at the school also included thank-you notes on the bags for the officers.
The truck itself is not a food truck; it is an NOPD truck with shelves where the food and drinks—such as coffee, water, sports beverages, protein bars, and the brown bags—are stocked.
The truck is not facilitated to maintain hot food (except for the coffee), which means the meals consists of sandwiches and fruit or protein bars and other snacks.
The truck rolls two hours before the parade and then tags along at the end of it so officers can walk over and grab some food.
“There would be no purple, green and gold without the blue,” said Talia.
A New Orleans Police truck filled with donated food travels the parade routes before and after parades so officers can grab something to eat during their long shifts. The truck was set up by the New Orleans Polie and Justice Foundation. You can donate on their website or at their headquarters. (Photo by Sofia Samayoa)
The Loyola Student News Service features reporters from advanced-level journalism classes at Loyola University New Orleans, directed by faculty advisers.
