First Friday Memo - January 2026
From the desk of Jayne Wright-Velez, Executive Director
The Food Bank of Central Louisiana
January 2026 / Issue 1912025 Year In Review
Every January, we take a moment to reflect on the year that has passed, assess and understand where we are now, and imagine what the new year will bring. In 2025, food-insecure individuals and families across the US experienced more uncertainty than usual, as nutrition assistance programs shrunk and food banks struggled to fill the gaps. Here’s a closer look at 2025 at the Food Bank of Central Louisiana.
295,000 Neighbors Served
In 2025, neighbors made more than 295,000 visits to food bank programs. Most of those individuals benefitted from household food distributions at mobile pantries, partner food pantries, and at daily service at the food bank’s main warehouse in Alexandria. Additional seniors received USDA commodity boxes; and many children participated in summer and afterschool meals and backpack programs. Overall, we reached 13% more people than were served through these programs in 2024.
The Cost of Food Continues to Rise
The USDA estimates that overall food prices increased by 3% in 2025. The cost of some items increased at a higher rate, including beef, sugar and nonalcoholic beverages. In Louisiana, households are spending about 13% of their income on food at home. The state ranks highest in the nation for grocery cost. At the Food Bank, we have worked hard to bring in more donated produce as a way to supplement some of the other foods that have been in short supply. While the rate of increase in food prices has slowed somewhat, the USDA predicts food costs to rise another 2.7 percent in 2026.
New Administration, New Priorities
Every new administration changes priorities for government programs and funding. In 2025, the food bank felt some of these changes directly. More than $1 billion in support for US food banks was eliminated, amounting to truckloads of cancelled USDA food deliveries to Central Louisiana. At the same time, SNAP and Medicaid benefits are being reduced, adding to the number of people who visit food pantries and meal programs for nutrition assistance.
Food Inventory Reached a Critical Low at the Food Bank
Never before have the shelves in the food bank’s warehouses been so bare as they were during 2025. In addition to disruptions in federal food shipments, many corporate producers and distributors have curtailed large food donations due to production efficiencies and the high cost of food. Long before the government shutdown, we were already working with a shortage. Thankfully, several donors provided emergency funds to help through the worst of the crisis. Yet inventory remains low – it will take many more months to catch up and fill the food bank’s shelves.
Volunteers Stepped Up
In 2025, more than 2,400 individuals gave their time and talent to help their neighbors by volunteering with us. Businesses and organizations were especially active last year; more of these groups volunteered than in 2024. If you’d like to schedule your group (or yourself) to volunteer, email Carole, our Volunteer Coordinator, at cstafford@fbcenla.org. It’s not too early to get the food bank on your calendar all year long.
Good Food Project Sharpened its Focus
The Food Bank’s Board of Directors looks critically at every program and service to ensure the food bank is meeting its mission while stewarding precious resources. Throughout the year, the food bank affirmed its commitment to children through the Good Food Project, our signature garden program, with intentional decisions that sharpened the project’s focus on empowering children to alleviate hunger in their own lives. GFP will continue to do what it does best, teaching children about healthy food and nutrition through 22 school gardens, STEM lessons, and activities in the Demonstration Garden on the food bank campus.
11,500,000 Pounds of Food Distributed
In 2025, nearly 12 million pounds of food was provided to food-insecure neighbors through food bank programs across Central Louisiana. The amount of food is close to what was distributed in 2024, but it was spread out among more food-insecure families. That means in 2025, neighbors received less food, less variety, and had to wait in longer lines to receive it.
Looking Ahead
Now that we know how we got to where we are, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get busy meeting our mission in 2026. We have cautious optimism for recovery in the new year. Many economists forecast inflation to gradually cool in the coming months, easing constraints for large food donors; as well as lightening the burden for the families we serve. The USDA was funded in the last appropriations bill, so the agency should not be impacted by federal budget actions or shutdown. We look forward to stability in 2026 and will embrace the opportunities that the new year will bring. With the help of our community, we can be stronger than ever.
The Food Bank of Central Louisiana is so appreciative to have friends like you, who continue to support the fight against hunger. Thank you for ringing in 2026 with us. Happy New Year!
