Hundreds rally at Louisiana Capitol for Anti-Hunger Day to highlight food insecurity

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Advocates from across Louisiana gathered at the Capitol this week for Anti-Hunger Day, calling attention to food insecurity and urging lawmakers to take action against hunger in the state.

“It’s really a call to action to make sure people understand there is hunger in our state,” said Pat VanBurkleo, Executive Director of Feeding Louisiana.

VanBurkleo emphasized the urgent need for support as food banks nationwide face significant funding challenges.

“We had over $50 million across the country cut for food banks. So that’s a big impact,” VanBurkleo said. “We are really trying to find resources to feed the people who need us.”

He added that the day was about strengthening partnerships between food banks and government agencies to better serve communities in need.

Among the attendees was James McReady, a business owner from Monroe and founder of H2Greaux, a company that partners with local food banks to provide fresh, chemical-free produce to schools and families.

“We really wanted to be in the school systems because we saw what our kids were eating,” McReady said. “We don’t know where it’s coming from. We don’t know what kind of chemicals are sprayed on the vegetables. We wanted to make sure that they were getting clean, nutritious food.”

McReady said his company’s mission goes beyond feeding families—it’s about providing high-quality, safe nutrition.

Chip Peerrin urged fellow residents to take action.

“It’s an important topic. It’s something that we all as Louisianans need to be aware of, and we really need to influence our elected officials to fight for us,” said Peerrin.

Business leaders, volunteers, nonprofit workers, and local food banks joined forces during the event to advocate for change and raise awareness about hunger, emphasizing that ending food insecurity will take a collective, sustained effort.

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