Stories of Hunger

Behind the scenes at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is a group of 18 incredibly special volunteers who assist nearly 11,000 other volunteers throughout each year. Each of these volunteers averages over 1,000 hours annually in our warehouse sorting and repacking food which we then distribute to more than

Within what has long been called the 7th Ward community in Livingston Parish sits Hebron Baptist Church, established more than 180 years ago to minister to the local community. From the very beginning, the church has been about serving the spiritual and physical needs of the community, and that call

Giving back in whatever way you can is a powerful thing. For Tandy Bennett, it has been a motto she has always tried to live by. A resident of Chinquapin, LA, Tandy began volunteering at the Head of Island Food Pantry over 20 years ago following the passing of her

In her earlier years after Navy service, Debi Warren was the volunteer warehouse manager at Our Daily Bread in Hammond for seven years. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she would make food boxes for people who had nowhere to turn to for food. Later in life, Debi would unexpectedly find herself

Having compassion for people is what drives Cedric Dixon to serve, which he hopes to inspire in others.  Dixon began working at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank in 2019. However, his passion for helping others began when he enlisted in the United States Army in 1984. Dixon’s family tradition

Meet Lisa Sparks, a client of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry Program in Pierre Part, Louisiana. Lisa had never received assistance from the Food Bank or other government programs before the pandemic. Still, she and her family were forced to make some tough choices as the virus

Gabrielle Albi started her journey with the Food Bank in May of 2020 as a part of the Covington unit of the Louisiana National Guard (LANG). As a Louisiana Guardsman, she worked with KiEtha Gage, Programs Manager, to collect data at our pandemic specific mobile distributions. In October of 2020,

If you were faced with the choice of paying your utility bill to keep the lights on, buying medicine for your chronic illness or buying food to feed your live-in grandchildren, what would you choose? April is Senior Hunger Awareness Month – a time to raise awareness about the unique

Linda Babin wanted to find a way to celebrate her husband, Brian’s, 80th birthday in September of 2020, despite the current pandemic. Under normal circumstances, they would have thrown a party and invited all their friends and family for such a momentous occasion. To adjust to the safety protocols, she

Once the pandemic hit, Elaine Simms found herself having to shut down her business. Not long after, she heartbreakingly lost her husband, significantly affecting her income. Once a cosmetologist, she is now providing support to fellow low-income community seniors. She sees the impact firsthand COVID-19 is having not only on