Abraham’s Tent was established in 1986 by the Roman Catholic Diocese (RCD) of Lake Charles to provide food for the elderly and homeless. In 1989, Pearl Cole, a former RCD secretary, became the Executive Director.
Since COVID-19 and the occupancy limit, Mrs. Pearl has had to reduce her staff of volunteers to less than half, but Abraham’s Tent still supplies up to 300 meals per day, Monday through Saturday.
A break-down of the daily routine that consists of prepping the food and seasonings, then cooking. When everything is cooked, the volunteers line up and begin preparing the first meals to go out. A driver then takes the first 80 meals prepared to Chateau Du Lac; a high rise assisted living community for the disabled and elderly.
Abraham’s Tent volunteers, along with Ms. Pearl, continue fixing 80 more meals to be picked up by the Lake Charles Police Jury and distributed to displaced individuals and families of COVID-19, that are now living in a local hotel and receiving state assistance. With so many homeless rate in the United States, providing over 90,000 meals a year
At around 11:00 am baskets of fruit, dry/non-perishable milk, and flower, are wheeled outside underneath the covered patio. As the people walk, ride bicycles, and get dropped off by the city bus, Ms. Pearl walks to the gate and unlocks it. She leads the crowd to the patio, as her staff help people with getting their plates and the other food products provided from 11:30 to 12:30.
Abraham’s Tent relies on the community’s donations, with some families from the community, contributing monthly and yearly. Twice a year annual food drives are held. The Forêt family, long time parishioners of RCD, will have their annual, “Clean out the Freezer,” food drive on September 20th. Due to COVID-19 and, recently, Hurricane Laura, KPLC TV’s annual “Pack the Tent,” has not yet been scheduled.
When asked if how COVID-19 has affected Abraham’s Tent, Ms. Pearl explains that the reduction in help was a small issue, but the most significant thing was trying to buy food and supplies, with per-person limits on most item purchases. Overall, Ms. Pearl said, “we’ve been blessed to still be able to provide for the community.”
For more information about donations and services, you can reach Ms. Pearl at (337)721-7211.
Abraham’s Tent is located at 2424 Fruge Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana 70601
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