Makenzie Miller, Ruthie Losavio and Denise Holston

The LSU AgCenter Healthy Communities team serves as a catalyst for change in addressing food insecurity across Louisiana. A key part of that plan for change is the Louisiana Charitable Food Summit.

In May 2023, the team hosted the inaugural summit, an event designed to foster collaboration and innovation among stakeholders in the state’s charitable food system. Nearly 150 people from across the state gathered in Baton Rouge to learn, network and share best practices to better support Louisiana residents experiencing food insecurity. Attendees included representatives from Louisiana’s regional food banks, local food pantries, state agencies, funders, healthcare organizations and other entities dedicated to supporting efforts to provide food at no cost to individuals in need.

The need for a strong network of support in Louisiana is well-established. Feeding America estimates that nearly 17% of Louisiana’s population, including more than 1 in 4 children, does not have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Inspiration for the summit stemmed from the discovery that a widespread need for support also exists among charitable food organizations that help people who face food insecurity.

From 2018 to 2020, the LSU AgCenter's High Obesity Program team, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control, conducted food pantry needs assessments in six rural Louisiana parishes: Assumption, St. Helena, Tensas, Madison, Morehouse and East Carroll. The assessment identified client needs and barriers to stocking healthy foods. In working with pantries to establish nutrition guidelines and food safety practices, procure necessary equipment and identify sources of fresh produce, the team discovered that many charitable food organizations across the state face similar challenges. It became clear that collaboration among organizations is vital to ensure programs and services meet the needs of the individuals and families served. Thus, planning for the 2023 Louisiana Charitable Food Summit began.

With input from charitable food system stakeholders across Louisiana, members of the planning committee organized a one-day event featuring a welcome from LSU AgCenter leadership, a keynote address, general and breakout sessions, exhibitors and a networking event. Speakers included representatives from local food pantries, regional food banks, researchers, nonprofit organizations and state agencies. Topics ranged from culturally and faith appropriate food availability to managing a successful transition to online ordering and volunteer management.

LSU AgCenter experts also took the opportunity to connect with local partners and share the wide array of resources and support available to charitable food organizations. Representatives of the AgCenter’s nutrition education programs, Louisiana Farm to School team and food safety team participated as attendees, speakers and exhibitors. The keynote address focused on how the LSU AgCenter Healthy Communities initiative can help address complex challenges within Louisiana’s charitable food system. Local food systems experts highlighted specific AgCenter support for the charitable food system, including local extension staff, nutrition education and free guides to help improve client experience and food safety.

Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive and highlighted the many benefits provided by this statewide event. Most notably, attendees found the ability to network, hear from others working in the charitable food system and learn about a variety of resources and presentation topics to be the most helpful part of the summit.

Given the success of the 2023 Louisiana Charitable Food Summit and the ongoing need for support, the AgCenter plans to hold the event every two years. The 2025 Louisiana Charitable Food Summit will be held at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center Conference Center in Baton Rouge on April 24.

To continue fostering collaboration and learning between biennial summits, the LSU AgCenter Healthy Communities team facilitates quarterly Louisiana Charitable Food System networking calls. Since June 2023, charitable food system stakeholders across the state have been invited to join the video chat calls to listen to presentations by their peers on topics selected by members. On each call, attendees can ask questions, share ideas and organizational updates and give feedback on future call topics, speakers and network activities. Members are also invited to share news, updates and events through a monthly email update.

The breadth of organizations represented at the 2023 Louisiana Charitable Food Summit and on quarterly networking calls underscores the importance of collaboration in addressing food insecurity challenges. These initiatives represent important opportunities to support positive changes in Louisiana’s charitable food system and highlight the AgCenter’s commitment to improving healthy food access for all Louisiana residents.

The LSU AgCenter extends its gratitude to the 2023 Louisiana Charitable Food Summit sponsors and planning committee members, which include Feeding Louisiana, Humana Healthy Horizons, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, Community Center of St. Bernard, ICNA Relief, Northshore Food Bank, Care Help of Sulphur and Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana.

Makenzie Miller is a local food systems specialist for AgCenter Nutrition and Community Health. Ruthie Losavio is the communications coordinator for the AgCenter Healthy Communities program. Denise Holston, a registered dietitian and an associate professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, leads the Healthy Communities initiative.

This article appeared in the winter 2025 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

2025 Louisiana Charitable Food Summit

WHEN: April 24

WHERE: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge

MORE INFO: Visit https://bit.ly/CharitableFoodSummit or

email makenziemiller@agcenter.lsu.edu

Quarterly Networking Calls

REGISTER: Email makenziemiller@agcenter.lsu.edu

MORE INFO: Visit https://bit.ly/CharitableFoodSummit

Healthy Communities Initiative

VISIT: www.LSUAgCenter.com/HealthyCommunities

Attendees of the first Louisiana Charitable Food Summit in May 2023 greet one another. Photo by Ruthie Losavio

Denise Holston, associate professor in the AgCenter School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, speaks at the Louisiana Charitable Food Summit in May 2023. Photo by Ruthie Losavio