ST. LANDRY PARISH — What started as a few hot meals shared in memory of a mother’s love has grown into a heartwarming Opelousas tradition.
Tuesday morning, police sirens echoed through one Opelousas neighborhood—but this time, it wasn’t an emergency. City and community leaders were out knocking on doors, handing out hundreds of meals to elderly residents and families in need.
The effort is led by Connie Shakesnider, who started the project 18 years ago to honor her late mother, who died of breast cancer.
“My mom was always feeding people in her neighborhood. She had such a good heart,” Shakesnider said. “ This is my way of keeping that part of her alive.” For many, the meals came at just the right time. With the government shutdown delaying SNAP benefits, some residents say the community support was a blessing.
“Some people can’t afford to cook or buy food,” said Opelousas resident Lisa Hall. “It helps a lot when people give back like this.” City leaders, including Alderman-at-Large Marvin Richard and councilwoman Chasity Warren, joined the effort to deliver more than 200 plates throughout the day.
“It feels good to see the smiles on everyone’s faces,” Richard said.
Shakesnider says while it may only be one meal—it’s given with love.
“People are worried about whether they’ll have food,” she said. “Although it’s just one meal, it’s all in love.”
Connie says she plans to host more events similar to this one in the future.
