Nourishment for the Soul

Associate Madeline Curtis, in white, is the chief cook for Peace Center luncheons.

Hunger among senior citizens is all too common. In New Orleans, nearly 13% of senior citizens are food insecure, and many are isolated by their inability to walk to grocery stores or food distribution centers.

Since 2014, The Peace Center has promoted justice for the marginalized. Every month, the Peace Center opens its doors to local senior citizens to enjoy a nutritious lunch with their neighbors. This monthly gathering is more than a meal – it’s an opportunity to make friends and build relationships.

Many of those meals are prepared by Dominican Sisters of Peace Associate Madeline Curtis. Madeline does the shopping, the cooking, and delivers hot, delicious meals to the Peace Center every month, and her shrimp etouffee is amazing!

The Peace Center has also partnered with Gladewaves, a local non-profit, to provide an additional hot meal at the Center each month, along with a boxed “to-go” meal that can be reheated at home.

Many low-income seniors in the near-by apartments go hungry at the end of the month when funds are tight. The Peace Center has partnered with Second Harvest to provide more than 1,200 meals, along with a caring visit for these neighbors who often don’t have friends and family nearby.

Organizations like the Ruth U Fertel Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation – Gert Town Fund, the Conrad Hilton Fund for Sisters, Common Spirit Health, and the E.J. and Majory B. Ourso family foundation, along with the generous gifts of our friends like you, help the Dominican Sisters of Peace feed the body and soul of seniors in Gert Town and God’s people around the world.