LAPLACE, LA — Students in St. John the Baptist Parish have a fresh batch of school supplies for the year, thanks to Louisiana Federal Credit Union (FCU) and its Pack the Pirogue initiative.
The credit union delivered pirogues filled with 8,243 school supplies items to 11 classrooms in southeast Louisiana. The recipients were nominated by community members during Louisiana FCU’s annual Pack the Pirogue supplies drive.
Two teachers in St. John were nominated by the community to receive supplies this year: LeeAnn LeBouef at Lake Pontchartrain Elementary and Ryshique Williams at East St. John High School.
Williams said that being chosen to receive a pirogue was a "huge blessing", since many of her students don’t always have the materials they need to learn.
"This will boost the student’s confidence," said Williams. "They won’t have to worry about where they will get a pencil from, or where they'll get paper.”
With inflation driving up the price of everything, parents are thinking twice before making purchases, even with essential school supplies. According to a national survey from JLL Retail Research, more than half of families in the U.S. claimed to have cut back on school spending this year.
“Families are experiencing enough financial burden as it is,” said Rhonda Hotard, president and CEO of Louisiana FCU. “This is one small way for us to help ease the pressure.”
Pack the Pirogue attracted a record number of classroom nominations in 2022 and received thousands of donations from the local community.
“Our members, our business partners and our staff stepped up and made the school year special for so many kids,” said Hotard.
Ryshique Williams and her student were happy to receive a pirogue full of school supplies from Louisiana FCU.
Ryshique Williams said Pack the Pirogue was a "huge blessing."
LeeAnn LeBouef and her class at Lake Pontchartrain Elementary were nominated to receive a pirogue full of school supplies.
Louisiana Federal Credit Union is a full-service not-for-profit financial institution serving more than 35,000 members in Louisiana. For more information about the credit union, visit www.LouisianaFCU.org.
Contact
Kim Bourgeois
Director of Business Development & Community Outreach
t. 985.653.1752
e. kbourgeois@LouisianaFCU.org
www.LouisianaFCU.org