Hunger Doesn’t Take a Summer Break
The summer is traditionally a time where families are heading to the beach, grilling by the pool, or participating in various summer camp activities. For kids, it can be an exciting time as they enjoy a much-needed break from school. But for 1 in 5 children in our 11-parish service area, the summer means one thing – they will go without food.
Per Feeding America’s latest meal gap study released in May, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank has more than 40,500 food insecure children living in our service area who do not have access to three meals a day. Without access to reduced-cost or free meals through schools, families struggle to adequately feed their children during the summer and have no choice but to visit a local food pantry to help make ends meet.
This is where the ripple effect begins. Increased demand from our network of 140+ member food pantries who are serving families on the front line puts added strain on the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank inventory allocations, especially during a time when donations are generally slow.
“While planning for the summer demand is a routine practice for our operation, this year has been particularly difficult to proactively manage because it has been tough to assess the amount of support we anticipate receiving from federal feeding programs,” said Mike Manning, President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. “Any reductions in federal assistance means we must find ways to source that food elsewhere which will come at a higher cost per pound for us. In short, we will acquire less food overall.”
Only halfway into the summer, our partner agencies are already feeling the impact of the rising demand on the front lines.
“We see clients of all ages and ethnicity at our pantry regularly, and the numbers of people are trending up more now than it has in the past,” said Pastor Lauthaught Delaney, Jr. of St. Paul Baptist Church Pantry. “At the same time, we see that the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank isn’t receiving the resources that they would normally have, and we are having to pull from other funding to make sure we can meet all of those needs.”
With these summer struggles underway for both agencies and children, you may be asking yourself what you can do to help.
“The summer is a great time to volunteer in our warehouse or to host a food drive, and we always encourage people to get involved in the way that fits them best,” said Manning. “But the biggest way you can help is by donating funds. Monetary donations are a tremendous help to our operation because we know we are going to have to purchase additional food resources to keep up with the demand coming from our member food pantries.”
To donate funds click here.
To register a food drive click here.
To sign up to volunteer click here.
Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Begins National Search for New CEO
