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RESERVE, La. (WGNO) — Officials with the NCAA are taking a timeout from sports to assist in Hurricane Ida recovery in St. John Parish.

On Tuesday, the organization will join forces with local partners to provide meals at the Regala Gym in Reserve. Volunteers will be preparing and distributing hot meals for visitors, along with handing out supplies.

Event Details

  • Tuesday, October 12
  • Begins at 9:30 a.m.
  • Regala Gym (200 Regala Park Road, Reserve, LA 70068)

The effort is a collaboration of the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee, consisting of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, New Orleans School of Cooking, Tulane University, and the University of New Orleans.

Community leaders expected to attend include:

  • Jay Cicero, President & CEO, Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation 
  • Jeff Rossi, Executive Director, 2022 New Orleans Local Organizing Committee
  • Jaclyn Hotard, St. John Parish President
  • Randal L. Gaines, State Representative
  • Ed Price, State Senator
  • Members of the Local Organizing Committee and NCAA

As the NCAA Final Four is set to return to the Caesars Superdome in April of next year, leaders expect the event to be one of the largest major sporting events in Louisiana since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Officials with the NCAA say they are happy to invest into the community that is “so graciously hosting their events next spring.”