FAQs

The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that solicits, procures, inventories, and warehouses donated food and other products. This food is then distributed to a variety of community agencies such as pantries, meal sites, homes, shelters, and soup kitchens that serve the people in need.

Where is the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank? → The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is located at 10600 S. Choctaw Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70815.

P.O. Box 45830 Baton Rouge, LA 70895-4830.

Monday – Thursday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Friday 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM for volunteer opportunities only

Closed Sunday

Feeding America, formerly known as America’s Second Harvest, is a network of food banks across the United States. The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is a member of Feeding America and follows its rules and regulations.

A service area is a geographical region to which a food bank provides food. In the case of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, our service area is 11 parishes (or counties). Your donations go directly to support those facing hunger in this service area.

Member agencies are the links between the Food Bank and individuals who are food insecure. A food bank serves as a collection, warehouse, and distribution center. We procure, purchase, sort, and distribute the food to our agencies (churches, meal sites, soup kitchens, shelters, group homes, emergency services, etc.). Agencies interact directly with those in need to ensure they receive the necessary support.

To become a member agency, an organization must be a nonprofit with an established meal or distribution program. All applicable member agencies must fill out a Member Agency application and be approved by the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank’s Board of Directors.

The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank services 11 parishes in Louisiana: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

Call our office at (225) 359-9940 to receive more information on qualifying food assistance.

If you’re in need of help outside of our regular business hours, you can contact Louisiana Association of United Ways by dialing 211.

211 is a free, confidential service that helps people across North America find the local resources they need 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. 

Visit www.cauw.org/211 to search the Capital Area United Way public resource directory or text your zip code to 898-211.

Please view our Mobile Distribution centers.

There are many ways to help the Food Bank. You can donate funds, donate food, volunteer, or sponsor events. Call (225) 359-9940 for more information.

Contact our Development team by email at development@brfoodbank.org or by phone at (225) 359-9940.

The Food Bank relies on donations of funds, food, and time to fulfill our mission. We always welcome food donations, but it is also good to know that financial donations allow us to acquire much more food through bulk purchasing at wholesale costs versus what you would pay for food at retail stores. Just $1 can provide up to 3 meals. Donating food or dollars to the Food Bank will directly benefit a family we serve throughout our 11-parish service area.

You can donate online by visiting our home page and clicking “Donate $” button. The “Donate Online” option will be located in the sidebar menu on the left side of the page. You can also call 225-359-9940 or send a check to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Food can be dropped off in the brown Food Bank collection boxes at local grocery stores, or you can call the Food Bank to arrange a pickup or drop off. For more information, please visit our food donation page.

Hosting a food drive is easy. Simply fill out the online Food Drive Registration Form. You can use your own container or a Food Bank collection box. You must register your food drive to receive a Food Bank collection box.

Almost anything that you find in your pantry can be donated to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. What food items are needed most? → Nonperishable food items like canned vegetables, canned soups, dried beans, canned meats, rice, pasta, peanut butter, flour, corn meal, etc. are all great examples of food that can be donated. Visit our Food Drive page for tips on items we need and theme ideas for your donation.

You can register online to volunteer here. Additionally, you can contact our volunteer department at (225) 359-9940 or volunteers@brfoodbank.org.

Yes. Please click here to register.

Instructions are listed below for creating a volunteer team. You can also watch the video here for a walk-through instructional video.

Step 1: The team captain must create a profile. Log into your account. 

Step 2: Hover the mouse over “Volunteers”, then hover over “My Account” and click on “My Teams.” 

Step 3: Click “Create New Team” 

Step 4: The Team Captain will complete fields for basic team information and fill in team member names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and ages. Click “Create Team” after entering all the information. 

Step 5: Inform each team member that they must sign a waiver if they did not create their own account. The waiver can be found here: Volunteer Waiver – Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank (brfoodbank.org). We no longer accept paper waivers. Please do not print the waiver.

Step 1: Team Captain must log into their account.

Step 2: Visit the Opportunity Calendar and confirm there are spots remaining to accommodate the entire team before attempting to sign up.

Step 3: Click on the opportunity and then click “Sign up with a Team”

Step 4: The list of team members will load. Click on each person that will be volunteering for the shift selected. Be sure to keep the Team Captain checked even though the person may not be attending or assign another Team Captain before signing up for the shift. 

Step 5: Remind team members to complete the waiver prior to the shift.

Watch Video on Volunteer Group Registration

How to change Team Participants for group registrations:

Step 1: Team Captain must log into their account.

Step 2: Locate the Upcoming Opportunity.

Step 3: Click on “Participants.”

Step 4: To add participants, click the box next to the team member’s name. To remove the team member from the opportunity, unclick the box next to the team member’s name.

Step 1: Log into your account

Step 2: Locate the Upcoming Shift you are removing your registration

Step 3: Click on “Remove Me”

Volunteers can help with many different tasks, including sorting donated food items, working in the warehouse, assisting with administrative efforts, and more. Visit our volunteer page for more information.

Closed-toe shoes are MANDATORY, preferably sneakers. Loose, comfortable clothing is also suggested (our warehouse is not climate controlled; therefore, be mindful of the weather conditions).

All youth volunteers must return a completed and signed volunteer waiver form prior to their first volunteer shift. A waiver form should be updated by the parent/guardian once per year.

Warehouse Activities: minimum age for volunteers is 14 years old or 10-13 years old may volunteer if accompanied by an adult age 18 or older.

Mobile Distributions: the minimum age for volunteers is 18 years old.

Children younger than 10 years old are allowed to volunteer in the warehouse on Family Night. With special permission and appropriate chaperones, children younger than 10 are permitted to tour the warehouse or assist with certain off-site special events/projects such as gleanings, food collections, etc.

Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at (225) 359-9940 or volunteer@brfoodbank.org for more information.

All court-ordered volunteers must submit their driver’s license and a document with the court order stated on the document. They can email these documents to volunteers@brfoodbank.org, and the Volunteer Coordinator will process their request. Be sure to bring court papers and your ID to your volunteer shift.