ELMWOOD, La. (WGNO)— For five years, Second Harvest Food Bank has partnered with Winn-Dixie and Southeastern Grocers to host a food distribution event for Hunger Action Day.

This year’s event will be held at the Christian Family Worship Center in Violet Friday from 9 a.m. to noon.

St. Bernard Parish was one of the many still recovering from Hurricane Ida and rebuilding after an EF-3 tornado tore through Arabi in March.

It’s also a parish that deals with food insecurity.

“There are more than 8,000 people in St. Bernard Parish that are at risk for hunger and almost half would be children,” Second Harvest President and CEO Natalie Jayroe said.

So, Second Harvest teamed up with a few of its partners to distribute groceries and hot meals.

“We know that 17.4% of all residents in St. Bernard Parish are at risk for hunger,” Jayoe said. “We also know there aren’t that many grocery stores and to buy groceries in St. Bernard Parish costs more than it does in other parishes and other states.”