BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Despite America’s prevalence of restaurants and grocery stores, a number of people are still struggling to find reliable access to affordable and nutritious food.
One source states that 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from food insecurity.
Hunger is also a problem locally.
According to Feeding Louisiana, “at the height of the pandemic, the number of food insecure Louisianans totaled 930,000. Roughly 1 in 5 of our fellow Louisianans experiences food insecurity, including a quarter of all children and a quarter of all seniors statewide.”
So, what resources can a person in Louisiana’s capital area make use of if they don’t have the means to purchase groceries and they don’t qualify for the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)?
Several avenues that may provide immediate assistance are listed below:
*Free Food Distribution Sites in Baton Rouge*
Hosting Organization: The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank
Address: 10600 S Choctaw Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
Click here for a list of food distributions sites, locations, and dates, all of which are helmed by the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank
*St. Vincent de Paul’s free dining room*
Hosting Organization: St. Vincent de Paul Place
Address: 220 St. Vincent de Paul Drive., Baton Rouge, LA 70802
St. Vincent de Paul Place’s dining room serves a hot, nutritious meal every day of the year, as well as a brown bag supper. Click here for more information.
*Free Food distributed upon request by The United Way*
Hosting Organization: Capital Area United Way
Address: 700 Laurel Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Click here for more on how to view upcoming food distribution dates and how to request a distribution of free food.
*The USDA’s Child and Adult Food Care Program *
Hosting Organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Louisiana Department of Education
Local Address: 1201 North Third Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802-5243
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers.
Click here for more information and email childnutritionprograms@la.gov with any questions about how to apply in behalf of your family.
Free gluten-free food by mail for people with Celiac or Gluten Intolerance
Hosting Organization: Mend Hunger
Address: 127 Audubon Dr. Suite C-323 Maumelle, Arkansas
Mend Hunger offers emergency food boxes of gluten-free food. Click here to request a box.
Click here for more information on how Louisiana’s senior citizens can receive free boxes of food.
Click here for a list of food banks in Louisiana.
Anyone who requires immediate assistance can also contact the USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273). Information is available in English and Spanish.