Thanksgiving baskets ready to be distributed to the needy, made possible, in large part, through concerts at El Sido's in Lafayette.  Owner Sid Williams donates the venue where some 12 bands will be playing on November 14 from 6p until.  Admission is $12.

Inspiration comes from the strangest places sometimes; you just have to be open to the possibilities. When Mary Chevalier was a young woman, her uncle owned a nightclub called The Blue Angel Club where she helped out by cooking and booking the bands. Families experiencing financial struggles, often a result of a family crisis, would come to her uncle asking for assistance by organizing fundraisers at the club and he would gladly accommodate them. It made an impression on Mary. Years (and a few nightclubs of her own) later, the fundraisers continued: barbeques, concerts, dances and donations from Mary and her husband.

When an obvious need wouldn’t let up, it was time for Mary to commandeer a group of smart, energetic girlfriends with the idea of organizing a formal group. In one meeting, less than an hour long, they explored other ways of making life a little better for the community’s less fortunate and came up with doable ideas and a name: Pillows of Hope. “When you’re going through rough times you’re most often not sleeping well and it’s our intent, through our donations and resources, to provide that hope – a softer pillow, so to speak,” says Mary, the non-profit’s founder and president. Since June 2004, the group has been doing just that.

This month, as in every November for Thanksgiving, the group will provide well over 100 food baskets to pre-qualified needy residents. Last year, 140 baskets were distributed feeding over 400 people with an array of items including turkey, cornbread, oil, rice, can goods, chocolates and seasoning. The group is now down to seven ladies, from the original 21, who help distribute baskets throughout Lafayette, Opelousas and New Iberia. It’s a busy time of year for Pillows of Hope and they will tell you any help is welcomed.

Truly a community effort, the money used in purchasing the gift basket items is raised through pro bono concerts like those held each year at El Sido’s on St. Antoine St., thanks to owner Sid Williams – and the bands, who play for free. This year, some 12 groups are lined up for the fundraising event scheduled for Wednesday, November 14 at 6 p.m. The hours-long extravaganza is said to be a steal of a deal for the $12 admission fee.

The Thanksgiving outreach is just one of several ways that Pillows of Hope helps community members. Other seasonal drives raise money for back-to-school supplies and uniforms, Easter baskets and Christmas toys.

In between all of that, the group also assists qualified recipients with a one-time payment of rent, utilities, medicine or food. Candidates are carefully screened with questions about income level, number of people in the home, job status and current family crisis.

The need is always more immediate when families have lost their homes to fire or other disasters, yet many times Pillows of Hope has helped pay for a short hotel stay. “There was a family whose trailer burnt,” recalls Mary sadly “and two boys, cousins, were killed. We put the family in a hotel for three nights and took the mother to Immaculate Heart of Mary where they helped us with funeral arrangements. I’ll never forget that the priest at the time, Father James, didn’t charge for the funeral service and he personally donated $300.”

Proceeds from barbeques, poboy sales, dances and tickets sold for an Annual Carnival Cruise provide monies to make all of this possible, but still the dollars are stretched, even with Carnival giving a small percentage back for each cabin rented.

With so many in need of help and little support for this non-profit, other than the fundraisers, funding can spread only so far and Mary says there is only enough to help each recipient with financial aid one time each year. “When we get to the point where we can’t assist someone, we reach out to groups like 232-HELP, United Christian Outreach, Progressive Baptist Church and The Mary’s House, with The Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

In the modest Pillows of Hope office on Louisiana Avenue there are reminders of their efforts: pictures from past fundraisers pinned to a bulletin board, community service awards like the ones from radio broadcaster and general manager of R & B Broadcasting Jenelle Chargois and another from Schilling Distributing – and a drawer, filled with “thank you” notes from grateful recipients, like Nathan O’Neil and Kimberly Broussard.

After undergoing a liver transplant four years ago, Nathan faced mounting medical bills and turned to Pillows of Hope for help. The ladies organized a poboy sale and proceeds went towards paying some of those expenses. “They helped me tremendously,” Nathan says “they have the passion and the heart.”

When Kimberly Broussard’s brother died last year, he didn’t have insurance and Kimberly needed assistance paying for burial fees. She reached out to Pillows of Hope to help her find non-profit agencies that would aid with her particular need. “Not only did Mary find some agencies that could help me, but Pillows of Hope made a donation of their own and she followed up to make sure the funeral home got the money,” Kimberly says with a tone of gratitude still in her voice. She points out that Mary Chevalier’s open-door policy is one seldom seen these days.

“We all have problems, just different kinds,” says Mary. “Pillows of Hope wants to let people in need know that there’s a helping hand in the community. Hopefully, with more financial support we could help even more people.”

If you would like to donate to Pillows of Hope’s efforts, contact Mary Chevalier at

337-280-3735 or email mary.chevalier@cox.net or pillows_of_hope@yahoo.com