Operation Restoration Commemorates Juneteenth With Service Day

The staff of Operation Restoration (OR), a New Orleans-based organization founded to support women and girls impacted by incarceration, celebrates Juneteenth with a day of service to the community. This year, the staff and other volunteers will serve hot meals to homeless persons beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 16 at Lorraine’s Cafe, 2000 South Claiborne Avenue. 

Juneteenth commemorates the announcement on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, TX informing all enslaved Black people in the state that they were free. This came nearly three years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Until then, enslaved people in Texas did not know the Civil War had ended or that they were free. President Joe Biden signed an act in 2021 making June 19 a federal holiday.

Along with serving a meal of fried chicken and red beans and rice, OR staff plans to distribute clothing and provide information about other community resources to homeless persons. They are also conducting a voter registration drive.

WHO: Operation Restoration staff

WHAT: Day of community service in celebration of Juneteenth

WHEN: Friday, June 16, beginning at 11:30 a.m. until supplies are gone

WHERE: Lorraine’s Cafe, 2000 S. Claiborne Ave., New Orleans

WHY: Commemorating the end of slavery in the US and celebrating Juneteenth National Independence Day

OTHER: Food, clothing and other resources distributed to homeless persons; staff also conducting a voter registration drive

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About Operation Restoration: The mission of Operation Restoration is to support women and girls impacted by incarceration to recognize their full potential, restore their lives and discover new possibilities. Additional information about the programs and services offered by Operation Restoration is available at www.or-nola.org