Good morning, Slidell.

A food drive is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the St. Tammany Parish Government Complex—residents will drop off nonperishable items like cereal, applesauce and cooking oil for the Northshore Food Bank amid expected delays in SNAP benefits.

The new, larger Goodwill store in Slidell officially opened today — shoppers can round up purchases to help support Second Harvest all November.

This weekend, Louisiana will host fall festivals where the Louisiana Renaissance Festival will celebrate pirate times in Albright, the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival will offer free music and tasty gumbo at Louis Armstrong Park, Destrehan Plantation will present arts and rides for kids, and the NOLA Black Tattoo Expo will feature live tattooing at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center—each event giving a unique taste of our state culture.

Local families in Slidell are resorting to high-interest payday loans and free meals at Here Today Rotisserie because delayed SNAP benefits have left over 53,000 recipients without support until benefits arrive today.

Local grocers and pawn shops report more customers struggling with rising costs—highlighting growing financial strain amid a government shutdown.

A recent poll showed 65% of Louisiana voters support more spending on early childhood education as many families face high child care costs—Libbie Sonnier from the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children warned that without increased state support, programs like Head Start, including Clover and Primetime, could shut down if federal funds fall short.

Louisiana families are facing a SNAP change today — households will get about half their normal monthly benefit after state-funded emergency payments were cancelled when federal funds resumed.

Many households, including those with job losses, are confused and are turning to local food banks for help.

A new report from the American Lung Association finds that Louisiana ranks poorly for early lung cancer detection—only 25% of cases are caught early compared to 28% nationally.

The report ranks the state 40th for new cases and 45th for early diagnosis, linking high smoking rates to delayed detection.

Mt. Olive AME Church Feeding Ministry 5K Run / 2K Walk

8 a.m. — John Slidell Park — Registration fee varies — Participate in a community-focused run/walk to support the Feeding Ministry.