HLS 181ES-295 ORIGINAL
2018 First Extraordinary Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 10
BY REPRESENTATIVE HAZEL
CONDOLENCES: Expresses condolences upon the death of Olla Rae Montalbano Chicola
1 A RESOLUTION
2To express the condolences of the House of Representatives upon the death of Olla Rae
3 Montalbano Chicola.
4 WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
5Louisiana House of Representatives learned of the death of Olla Rae Montalbano Chicola
6on February 22, 2018, at the age of ninety-one; and
7 WHEREAS, Olla Rae was born on June 27, 1926, to Tony and Agnes Guillot
8Montalbano in Bunkie, Louisiana; after graduating from Bunkie High School, she moved
9to Alexandria and attended business college; and
10 WHEREAS, she met her late husband, Nick Chicola, on a blind date, and they
11married when he returned from serving in World War II; and
12 WHEREAS, Nick and Olla Rae ran a successful grocery business for forty years,
13Nick's Food Center; Nick believed in fairness and selling food at the lowest possible prices;
14and
15 WHEREAS, they nurtured and educated seven children; meals at the Chicola
16household were legendary; Olla Rae was a master cook, and she shared her treasured recipes
17with forty direct descendants and friends; and
18 WHEREAS, she loved music, travel, dancing, and singing; and
19 WHEREAS, she was a devout Catholic who practiced her faith in everyday life; Olla
20Rae was a founding member of St. Francis Cabrini School and Church in Alexandria; and
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HR NO. 10
1 WHEREAS, Father Gerard Foley and a group of parishioners from St. Francis
2Cabrini Church opened the soup kitchen, Manna House, in Alexandria twenty-eight years
3ago because of the great number of homeless people in the area; and
4 WHEREAS, Olla Rae was a driving force behind the opening of Manna House; she
5provided the building on Lee Street, which formerly housed her grocery store, and continued
6serving in the ministry for many years; and
7 WHEREAS, Olla Rae was resourceful in her efforts to find food for Manna House,
8which serves eight thousand meals a month; volunteers pick up leftovers from hospitals, day-
9old bread and bent canned goods from local grocery stores, donuts from Shipley donuts, and
10produce from correctional institution farms; and
11 WHEREAS, Manna House has a reputation for feeding the hungry seven days a
12week that extends beyond Louisiana; and
13 WHEREAS, President Clinton awarded Olla Rae the National Service Award for her
14undaunted efforts to feed thousands of people at the soup kitchen; and
15 WHEREAS, Olla Rae and the Manna House staff and volunteers were called to their
16work by the words of Matthew 25:35: "When I was hungry, you gave me food."; and
17 WHEREAS, in Louisiana, food is a significant part of life, and making and sharing
18food is how people connect; and
19 WHEREAS, Olla Rae encouraged volunteers and staff to take a tray and sit down and
20eat and talk to Manna House clients; she believed that the clients had to have courage, know
21that God loves them, and to not give up; and
22 WHEREAS, one of her granddaughters who serves as a volunteer says, "The truly
23amazing aspect of her life was that she gave so much and asked for nothing; she was a
24humble and grateful woman"; Mrs. Chicola leaves a legacy of a commitment to God, service
25to her community, and love for all people; and
26 WHEREAS, Olla Rae is survived by five of her seven children and their spouses,
27Barbara "Bobbie" and her husband Alan, Ronald and his wife Laura, Ted and his wife Kay,
28David and his wife Sharon, and Monty; her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces,
29nephews, cousins, and many friends and Manna House staff and volunteers.
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HR NO. 10
1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
2Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the
3death of Olla Rae Montalbano Chicola, a woman who helped feed her community for over
4twenty years; does hereby extend appreciation for the pride and honor that she will forever
5bring to the city of Alexandria and to the state of Louisiana; and does hereby recognize and
6record for posterity her outstanding accomplishments and her legacy of work in feeding the
7hungry.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
9to the family of Olla Rae Montalbano Chicola.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 10 Original 2018 First Extraordinary Session Hazel
Expresses condolences on the death of Olla Rae Montalbano Chicola.
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