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La. (WAFB) – Whole Heart Health has installed a new Whole Heart Pantry at the VFW Auxiliary Post 7017 in Denham Springs’ historic downtown. It is the sixth food pantry the nonprofit has created in the Capital Region
The pantry is stocked with shelf-stable snacks, hygiene items, and full meal kits that include a recipe card for making dinner at home
Founder and Executive Director Whitney Andrus is thrilled to add a pantry to this community
“Historic Downtown Denham Springs has been one of our most requested locations,” Andrus said. “We believe access to nourishing food should be paired with the knowledge and confidence to actually use it.”
Andrus said the pantry is about more than helping families put food on the table
“The manna bags have recipe cards in them and some little notes on the back to kind of educate, so it’s something that you’re empowered to not just be fed but to have dinner with dignity with your family, and it’s something you’re proud to get around the table for,” Andrus said
Whole Heart Pantries are designed differently from traditional community food boxes. Rather than providing individual ingredients, the pantries feature complete shelf-stable meals paired with recipes, giving families the tools to recreate the meals at home
Andrus said this approach was developed after seeing a common challenge with traditional food distribution: individual ingredients can sometimes be left behind because families may not know how to prepare them or may assume there is no way to make them taste good
“We live in Louisiana. We want flavor and joy in our meals,” Andrus said. “Our goal isn’t just to feed people. It’s dinner with dignity.”
The Whole Heart Pantry model combines food access with nutrition education, helping families see how shelf-stable ingredients can become balanced, flavorful meals. Recipes are designed to be simple, approachable, and made for duplication, allowing families to take what they learn from the pantry into their own kitchens
“We want to educate our communities that balanced eating isn’t something that belongs to people with more money. It’s available to all of us,” Andrus said. “Sometimes the barrier isn’t just having food. It’s knowing what to do with it. We want to help bridge that gap.”
The pantry is located at the VFW Post in Denham Springs’ historic downtown and is open at any time for people to get what they need
The Denham Springs pantry is part of Whole Heart Health’s network of community pantries serving families throughout the Greater Baton Rouge area. These pantries are stocked with complete shelf-stable meals one to two times per week
A full list of pantries on Whole Heart Health’s route can be found online
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