Charitable donations to a wide assortment of local charities happened Tuesday as the annual FoodNet Drive in Acadiana extended to the Teche Area.

In New Iberia, the Sugar Cane Festival Building was filled with different non-profits who all received a variety of canned goods and other donations from local residents willing to spread a little cheer for the holidays.

Some of those organizations included St. Francis Diner, Solomon House and the Disch-DeClouet Social Service Center who all had volunteers stationed near vans and donation boxes to collect the donations that were distributed by local residents passing through in their vehicles and unloading their products.

“It’s going well so far,” organizer Wess Robison said. “We’ve picked up a ton from Loreauville Elemetnary and Center Street Elmentary, and we’re about to get some more from the (Iberia Parish) Courthouse,” he said. “In the first hour I think we had over 1000 pounds collected so that’s great.”

The event was conceived by KLFY TV-10 who partners with local organizations in most Acadiana parishes and cities in order to coordinate with local organizations that can directly help the needy.

Catholic Charities, which is also an organizer for the event, recommended items like boxed crackers, canned tuna, canned salmon or canned chicken, dried beans, lentils peas, canned beans, chili, peanut butter, jelly, canned soup/stew, instant oatmeal, pasta/spaghetti sauce, canned fruit, canned vegetables and granola bars.

For Iberia Parish, food pantries like St. Francis Diner and Solomon House directly interact with residents in the community who could be greatly helped by those donations, and volunteers for both organizations were on-site Tuesday to help collect whatever donations that were available as part of the event.

Iberia FoodNet is organized by Iberia On Tap, who has been in charge of the event for two years. Director Wess Robison said Tuesday morning that the intake for FoodNet had been busy so far, and a steady stream of local residents had pulled into the Sugar Cane Festival Building to give for the occasion.