Corporate Realty, Inc. has partnered with the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music to distribute 160 hot, healthy meals along with 80 boxes of fresh produce on a weekly basis to residents of the Musicians’ Village in the Upper Ninth Ward.

We often say that while real estate is our business, food is our passion. Food is also a basic necessity, vital to both mental and physical wellbeing, that unfortunately historically has not been available to all New Orleanians. Food insecurity defines a lack of access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food due to loss of resources and income, and this has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Various organizations and medical studies have produced research that shows when people have less money to spend on food, they choose cheap, high-calorie boxed and prepared foods, which tend to increase health issues.

From left to right: Richard Weber, Jr. and Jonathan Fawer, Corporate Realty brokers, and Michele Brierre, Executive Director of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, prepare to distribute meals from Sammy’s Deli and boxed produce from Covey Rise Farms on May 8, 2020. Mike Siegel, Corporate Realty president, checks bagged meals.

One such group that has been adversely impacted is our city’s musicians and their families. Corporate Realty’s employees worked together to make financial contributions, allowing us to provide weekly healthy food options to residents of the Musicians’ Village for six weeks. Our initial delivery was May 8, 2020, with meals prepared by Sammy’s Deli and boxes of fresh produce from Covey Rise Farms. On May 14,  meals were prepared by Dooky Chase’s Restaurant and produce delivered from Louisiana Fresh Produce.

The Musicians’ Village is a community for musicians and their families consisting of 72 single-family homes and 5 elder-friendly duplexes for the senior members. Musicians Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis had this idea as part of the rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina, and the homes were constructed by New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, located within the heart of the village, is a community venue that provides performances as well as educational opportunities for under-served youth and adults.

Michael J. Siegel, president of Corporate Realty, Inc., and a member of the Board of Trustees at the Center, said, “Corporate Realty, and most importantly Corporate Realty’s employees, are thrilled to work with the Ellis Marsalis Center and the Musicians’ Village on this important endeavor. As always, our Corporate Realty team rises to the occasion to make this project beneficial not only to the residents of the Musicians’ Village but also supportive of several of our favorite local restaurants and New Orleans important fresh produce providers.”