Happy New Year, New Resolve: Hope for a Hunger-Free Louisiana in 2026

January is a natural reset. It is the moment we look ahead and ask what kind of state we want to be. At Feeding Louisiana, our answer is clear: in 2026, we are doubling down on our commitment to a healthier, hunger-free Louisiana—one neighbor, one parish, one partnership at a time.

Looking Back With Gratitude—and Real Impact

Last year, food banks across Louisiana faced some of the most challenging conditions in recent memory: historic low inventories, higher food costs, and more neighbors turning to them for help.

In the midst of that, Feeding Louisiana distributed more than $13,282,000 to our five regional Food Banks to support food purchases, statewide programs, and critical operations. Those dollars translated into millions of meals for:

• Families squeezed by rising housing, transportation, and grocery costs

• Seniors on fixed incomes choosing between food, medicine, and utilities

• College students trying to stay in school while working and caring for family

• Workers who suddenly lost hours or paychecks due to economic disruptions

Behind every purchase order and every distribution were volunteers, donors, staff, and partners who chose action over indifference. We enter this new year grateful—and determined to build on that momentum.

What Feeding Louisiana Does

As we step into 2026, it is important to be clear about the role Feeding Louisiana plays in our state’s hunger relief system.

1. We advocate for policies and funding that get more food to more Louisianans.
As the statewide voice for hunger relief, we champion smart policies and resources that expand access to nutritious food and address root causes of hunger. We bring data and lived experience to Baton Rouge and Washington, working with lawmakers, agencies, and partners to remove barriers and scale what works.

2. We help food banks operate more efficiently and effectively.
We convene Louisiana’s five Feeding America–affiliated food banks to share data, standards, training, and compliance tools, and to coordinate statewide programs. The result: lower costs, stronger operations, and a better experience for neighbors, so more meals reach more people, faster.

3. We grow public awareness and action on hunger.
We spotlight how food insecurity touches all 64 parishes and mobilize individuals, businesses, farmers, faith communities, health systems, and elected leaders to act. Through campaigns, storytelling, volunteer engagement, and giving opportunities, we convert awareness into measurable impact for families across Louisiana.

Hope as a Commitment, Not a Feeling

Hope, for us, is not wishful thinking. Hope is a plan. In 2026, Feeding Louisiana and our member food banks will continue to:

• Protect and strengthen nutrition programs like SNAP and CSFP that keep families and seniors stable.

• Leverage every public and private dollar to move as much healthy food as possible into communities.

• Build new partnerships with health care, schools, farmers, and local leaders to address both hunger and health together.

We know many neighbors are still one crisis away from an empty pantry. But we also know that when Louisiana decides to solve a problem, we do it with focus, creativity, and heart.

How You Can Be Part of the Work in 2026

As you set your own goals for the new year, we invite you to include your neighbors in that vision:

• Give: A financial gift to your regional food bank helps purchase nutritious food and sustain programs that reach people where they live, learn, and work.

• Volunteer: A few hours sorting food, packing boxes, or helping at a distribution can make an immediate difference for families.

• Advocate: Talk with your elected officials about why fighting hunger matters. When they understand how hunger shows up in your community, stronger policies and funding follow.

• Share Information: Let friends, family, and colleagues know that help is available. No one should go hungry simply because they did not know where to turn.

Moving Into the New Year—Together

A hunger-free Louisiana will not happen by accident. It will happen because people across this state—neighbors, food banks, farmers, businesses, health partners, and policymakers—choose to act together.

As we begin this new year, we are hopeful because of what we have already accomplished and clear-eyed about the work ahead. With your partnership, hope looks like full pantries, children able to focus in school, seniors with both food and medicine, and families no longer forced to choose which basic need to meet.

Thank you for standing with Feeding Louisiana and our five regional Food Banks. Together, we can make 2026 a year of real progress—and real hope—for every neighbor in every parish.