The local community responded swiftly last week when the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank issued calls for help in an effort to restock depleted shelves ahead of the holiday season.
But still more donations are needed. As major natural disasters have hit the U.S. in recent months, from hurricanes to California wildfires, the demand for food outside the local community has spiked, diverting donations to disaster relief efforts, says Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank President and CEO Mike Manning.
“We’re still playing catch up,” Manning says. “But we’re encouraged by the community’s positive response to our call for help. We’ve seen a tremendous influx of food drives, calls from people wanting to help and financial donations ticking up.”
The food bank took to the airwaves last week, revealing bare shelves inside its Choctaw Drive facility and calling attention to a drastic need for food supplies ahead of Thanksgiving, when children are out of school and the need for food picks up, Manning says.
The organization initially tried to reach out to the public for help in late October, but Manning says the message got lost in the midst of election season and the impending LSU-Alabama game.
When the food bank put the message out again in November, it picked up more traction as news organizations began spreading the word.
“We had to go back and make people aware of how bad the situation was,” Manning says. “Last week it finally connected with people.”
Those who want to help can find more information at the food bank’s website.
