ZACHARY — In Louisiana, 683,110 people are facing hunger, with 234,120 of them being children. Numerous foundations and initiatives like The Little Free Pantry are taking a stand to help feed their community.

Ethan Jeffus founded The Little Free Pantry in 2022.

"It got started out of a place of realizing the need for food and other essential items in our state, and wanting to prompt a movement to encourage the community to get involved and make a difference," Jeffus said.

Louisiana is one of the top five most food insecure states in the country because many communities either don't have a means of transportation to be able to access fresh meats and produce, or they don't have supermarket chains nearby.

There are places like the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and the Scotlandville Bodega that have provided numerous goods to the public, but communities are still struggling.

Jeffus just added five new locations in the Baton Rouge region: two each in St. Francisville and Central Baton Rouge, and one in Zachary. With these additions, there are now 21 Little Free Pantry locations across Louisiana.

The Little Free Pantry has also teamed up with family-owned David Co. Plumbing—a group that has been giving back to their community for over twenty years.

Owner Cherie Hardin said she got involved at a young age after seeing her parents help with Thanksgiving meals. That's what prompted her to give back. Now, she's been doing it for twenty-five years and loves being a part of it.

These pantries are open 24/7. Even with large corporations like Walmart existing in Zachary, Mayor David McDavid said that the pantries "will help people that may need a little extra bump for the week, and get something to eat."

"A healthy body is a healthy mind," McDavid said.

To access more information about the initiative or to see where the nearest pantry is to you, click the link here.