Our Mission = Our Name
We believe in a love that gives itself away, the kind that demonstrates itself through action. Our mission is our name – to love the children, families, widows, hurting and needy across Acadiana.
Love Acadiana seizes opportunities to provide help and hope in the Name of Jesus, while meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the underserved. We endeavor to connect the faith and business communities together to accomplish life-transforming work.
Our History
Love Acadiana has been serving the people of Lafayette, St. Landry, Vermilion, Iberia and St. Martin Parishes for years—mobilizing volunteers, meeting critical needs, aiming to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the hurting.
Early Years
Our story began with simple, heartfelt efforts:
Back-to-school drives
After-school tutoring
Teacher appreciation baskets
Holiday food and gift distributions
A model initiative to connect the Church to the foster care crisis
In 2015, we supported victims and families after the tragic Grand 16 theater shooting—offering counseling and financial assistance during their time of need.
Disaster Response Expands
The flood of 2016 marked a pivotal shift. In partnership with Eight Days of Hope, we:
Mucked out 400+ flooded homes
Rebuilt 130 homes in Acadiana
Since then, we’ve responded to:
Hurricanes Laura & Delta (2020), Ida (2021)
Tornadoes in New Iberia (2023) and Henderson (2024)
Flooding in Breaux Bridge (2024)
And numerous other local disasters
We also organized a multi-truck supply drive for Hurricane Helene survivors in North Carolina and Georgia (2024).
Mobilizing Volunteers at Scale
In 2019, we mobilized 3,000 volunteers across eight schools in a single day for Love Our Schools—a catalyst that later became its own nonprofit.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we:
Distributed 589,000+ surgical masks strategically to healthcare facilities with limited or no access
Tarped roofs, cleared trees, and cleaned yards for 400+ families affected by storms in 2020
- Delivered Buddy Blessing Boxes filled with groceries to hundreds of families impacted by the shutdowns
In 2021, we hosted:
A Saturday Serve with 100+ volunteers completing 20+ improvement projects at a school in Vermilion Parish
A furniture distribution in Lake Charles for hurricane survivors, bringing together volunteers from 14 churches
Growth and Focus
In 2022, we unified operations under one roof: a 7,000 sq. ft. facility in Broussard, LA.
We led dozens of serve events, responded to a tornado in New Iberia, and laid the groundwork for something bigger.
In 2023, we launched a new initiative to address foster care needs in Acadiana—with two goals:
Inspire the Church to foster
Support those who do
Today
Love Acadiana remains committed to four key focus areas:
• Disaster Response
• Education
• Foster Care
• Special Projects that meet urgent or long-term needs
Through every season, our mission stays the same:
Mobilize people. Meet needs. Model Christ.
Strategic Partnerships
We are blessed to partner with Eight Days of Hope, a national disaster relief organization that exists to demonstrate the love and hope of Jesus Christ by serving those in need. Eight Days of Hope has helped us to muck out nearly 400 homes after the flood of 2016, revitalize eight Lafayette Parish public schools in 2019, and in 2020 they served with us in Southwest Louisiana to bring relief to those affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. They continue to return to Louisiana to help respond to storms across the state. EDOH’s expertise, compassion and nationwide volunteer network are invaluable to us when disaster strikes.
2016 Acadiana Flooding
Hurricane Laura 2020
Tarping, chainsawing, & debris removal
Hurricane Delta 2020
Returned one week after their deployment for Hurricane Laura ended.
Staff
Tara Baudoin
Tara helped to coordinate efforts of a national disaster relief organization in Lafayette after the flood of 2016, and served as project manager the inaugural year of Love Our Schools in 2019, before officially joining Love Acadiana as executive director in 2020, just in time to respond to the pandemic. She’s led women’s ministry and served with her husband, David, a pastor in Lafayette for 20+ years. She has three daughters – Annie, Gabby and Madeline – and enjoys using her energy and influence to promote initiatives that better the community. Tara attended public and private schools in Lafayette and graduated from University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Public Relations and Marketing. She is passionate about serving the people of Acadiana.
Angie Leblanc
Even before Angie joined our staff in 2024, she served joyfully as a volunteer at many of our events. Angie’s résumé prior to Love Acadiana reflects her commitment and work ethic, as she rose through the ranks for nearly three decades to become a product manager at Stuller, North America’s largest jewelry manufacturer and distributor. She now brings that same attention to detail and professionalism – as well as customer service experience (at Aggreko and Sterling Automotive Group) to Love Acadiana. Angie loves talking to people and solving problems. She is married to Shane, a respiratory therapist, has two sons, Brock and Austin, and a small chihuahua. When she’s not serving with us, you can find her serving as a greeter at her church, OSC-Youngsville.
Angela Gagliano
Angela has developed and coordinated outreach small groups and events at Our Savior’s Church-Lafayette Campus since 2014, first as a volunteer then full-time staff member. She also assisted with developing leaders, small groups and volunteer teams. After assisting with various community service projects during the unprecedented year of 2020, she transitioned from OSC to Love Acadiana in 2021. Angela has a passion to help anyone in need and leans on her paralegal background of 20+ years to work against general injustices and better the community. A native of Slidell, Angela has lived in Lafayette for more than 20 years, where she has raised her grown children, Haley and Jacob, and she calls Acadiana home.
Scott Brantingham
On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Scott Brantingham, our teammate and friend known to many as Pastor Scott, passed away in a tragic accident. Though we grieve his loss, we take comfort knowing that his faith has become his sight (2 Cor 5:7) as he stands face to face with Jesus, the Savior in whom he believed and trusted. And while he is irreplaceable, we commit to carrying on his legacy–serving people in Jesus’ Name. We hope you join us in that endeavor.
