BATON ROUGE- Each week, a team of people packs vans with boxes of ready-to-eat meals in the back lot of Focus Foods in Baton Rouge.

The meal boxes help many busy moms like Jennifer Beehler feed their kids every week.

"It's been super helpful. I don't have to worry about what to feed them. It's healthy," Beehler said.

She says feeding your kids the right foods isn't always easy, especially during a pandemic.
As the pandemic exacerbates food insecurity across the state, local businesses like Focus Foods came up with a solution.

Owner Jeff Landry says just this week he helped to launch a new program to deliver meals to students across East Baton Rouge, Livingston, and Ascension parishes.

"When the pandemic first hit, it really escalated the fact that we have food insecurity here in Lousiana. We were already trying to fill that void, and where we are now has been an evolution of that process," Landry said.

Thomas Jacobs is the chief operating officer. He says his team delivers more than 20,000 boxes a week for free.

"We believe children shouldn't have to worry where their next meal comes from, especially when they're trying to learn. We're trying to make it easier on parents as well," Jacobs said.

Families living in East Baton Rouge Parish can now sign up for weekly home deliveries online at focusfoods.org

All children 18 years of age and younger who reside in East Baton Rouge Parish are eligible to receive a meal box.