This July, our nation marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a moment to celebrate America’s history, reflect on our shared values, and recognize the people and communities who have helped build this country generation after generation.
One theme has been present throughout that history: people have always helped feed each other.
Long before modern grocery stores, refrigeration, transportation systems, and food banks, families and communities depended on one another. Farmers grew food not only for their own households, but often for their neighbors. Families preserved food for difficult seasons. Churches, civic groups, and community leaders organized meals, collected food, and cared for those facing hardship. In times of war, storms, economic struggle, and personal crisis, food has always been one of the most basic and meaningful ways people showed up for each other.
That spirit continues today.
Across Louisiana, our five regional food banks carry forward that same tradition of neighbor helping neighbor. Every day, food bank staff, volunteers, farmers, donors, community partners, and advocates work together to make sure families have access to food. They pack boxes for seniors, distribute fresh produce, support children and families, respond after disasters, and help connect neighbors to programs that provide long-term stability.
The way we feed people has changed over 250 years. The commitment has not.
Today, Feeding Louisiana is proud to support a statewide network that reaches all 64 parishes. Together, our food banks provide food to children, seniors, veterans, working families, people with disabilities, and neighbors facing unexpected hardship. This work is not charity alone. It is community. It is partnership. It is a belief that no one should be left behind when food is available and people are willing to help.
Louisiana also has a powerful food story of its own. Our state is rich in agriculture, culture, cooking, and community. Food brings people together at family tables, church gatherings, festivals, school cafeterias, food pantries, and neighborhood distributions. It reflects who we are and how deeply we understand the importance of sharing what we have.
As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we also celebrate the farmers who grow our food, the volunteers who give their time, the donors who invest in hunger relief, the food bank teams who work every day behind the scenes, and the neighbors who care for one another in quiet but powerful ways.
The history of America is not only written in founding documents and public speeches. It is also written in kitchens, fields, gardens, warehouses, community centers, and food distribution lines. It is written every time someone says, “We have enough to share.”
This July, Feeding Louisiana celebrates 250 years of America by honoring a simple and enduring truth: feeding each other has always been part of who we are.
And it remains part of who we must continue to be.
Pat R. Van Burkleo, Executive Director