Thanksgiving is a chance to be with family and friends under one roof and share a meal with those held dear. But at a time when many are thinking about good fortune, there is a national movement to end homelessness and hunger, and some University students are helping to promote the cause in Baton Rouge.
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, which takes place the week before Thanksgiving every year, is meant to draw attention to these problems and find solutions to them.
Kitchens on the Geaux, a University student organization on the forefront of fighting hunger in Baton Rouge, spoke with Ann Savage, program assistant with the Louisiana Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, to start new conversations and learn about what happens in the community to end hunger.
“The plight of those without a home, or those living in poverty, can be both lonely and difficult,” states the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week’s website. “Addressing their struggles by organizing and participating in this week may bring greater solidarity and understanding, as well as promote future involvement.”
David Munoz, electrical engineering sophomore and Kitchens on the Geaux board member, said the discussion opened up more opportunities for the student organization.
“We have so much more support than I previously thought we had, which is so much better than going at it alone as just Kitchens on the Geaux,” Munoz said. “Now we can go at it with the AgCenter, with other nonprofits. It’s just going to make what we’re doing somewhat easier.”
Munoz said the problem with homelessness and hunger in Baton Rouge stems from poverty throughout different generations and lack of information and understanding.
Kitchens on the Geaux collects prepared food left over from the Lod Cook Alumni Center and the Chipotle Mexican Grill location just off campus to transport to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. The organization volunteers work with the food bank representatives to find organizations to accept the donation, which then give the food to the hungry.
The student organization is looking to get the 459 Commons and The 5 dining halls to donate their surplus food to help the hungry.
Savage, who also works in sustainable agriculture and food systems, said she “dove head first” into the local food systems to learn as much as she could. She said in working with producers and consumers, she became aware of areas that lacked access to food.
“For me, it’s a need that agriculture can fill,” Savage said.
In low food access areas, or food deserts, there are no supermarkets within a one-mile radius, Savage said. And 25 to 46 percent of people in those areas are less likely to have a healthy diet.
“I think that there’s lots of room for growth, especially when it comes to food access in Baton Rouge,” Savage said.