Addressing Food Insecurity and Hunger Among New Orleans Youth

The Scale of the Challenge

Food insecurity—defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate nutritious food—represents one of the most pressing challenges facing New Orleans families today. In Louisiana, approximately 1 in 7 people struggles with food insecurity, with children facing even greater risk. The situation in New Orleans is particularly dire, with the city facing rates of food insecurity that surpass national averages.

Louisiana faces troubling statistics regarding hunger, with nearly 22% of youth (ages 18-24) not having enough to eat, ranking it among the states with the highest rates of youth food insecurity. Food insecurity affects Black and Latinx households at more than double the rate of white households, reflecting deeper patterns of systemic inequity. These disparities are acutely visible in New Orleans, where neighborhood-level food access can vary dramatically across the city.

The consequences of food insecurity extend far beyond immediate hunger. Research has linked childhood food insecurity to poorer physical health outcomes, including higher risks of chronic conditions like asthma, as well as negative impacts on mental health, including increased depression and anxiety. Food-insecure children often experience difficulties concentrating in school, leading to lower academic achievement and potentially limiting future economic opportunities—perpetuating cycles of poverty across generations.

Root Causes of Food Insecurity in New Orleans

Understanding the complex factors that contribute to food insecurity in New Orleans is essential for developing effective solutions:

Economic Barriers

The fundamental driver of food insecurity is poverty. With approximately 21% of New Orleans families living in poverty—including 30% of African American families—many households face impossible choices between paying for housing, utilities, healthcare, and food. The financial strain on families has intensified in recent years due to rising housing costs and economic disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Unemployment and underemployment further exacerbate food insecurity. Many working families in New Orleans are employed in low-wage industries, particularly in the service and hospitality sectors, where incomes often remain insufficient to meet basic needs. The seasonal nature of tourism-related employment creates additional financial instability for many households.

Food Access Challenges

Physical access to nutritious food remains a significant barrier in many New Orleans neighborhoods. The city contains numerous "food deserts"—areas without grocery stores offering affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. After Hurricane Katrina, many grocery stores never reopened in certain neighborhoods, leaving residents dependent on convenience stores and fast-food outlets that primarily offer processed, less nutritious options at higher prices.

Transportation presents another significant obstacle. In neighborhoods without grocery stores, residents without personal vehicles must rely on limited public transportation to access food, often spending hours traveling to and from grocery stores. This time burden creates additional hardship for working families.

Systemic and Environmental Factors

Historical patterns of disinvestment in certain neighborhoods have contributed to the uneven distribution of food resources across the city. Gentrification in some areas has improved food access for newcomers while potentially displacing long-term residents to areas with fewer resources.

New Orleans' vulnerability to natural disasters, including hurricanes and flooding, creates additional food security challenges. During and after disasters, food supply chains are disrupted, stores close, and families may lose refrigerated food due to power outages. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of these events, potentially worsening food insecurity.

Current Responses to Food Insecurity

New Orleans has developed a range of programs and initiatives to address food insecurity, particularly among children and youth:

Second Harvest Food Bank

Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana serves as the largest anti-hunger network in South Louisiana, providing approximately 36 million meals annually to 300,000 people across 23 parishes. The organization's comprehensive approach includes:

• Food Distribution Programs: Second Harvest partners with hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and schools to distribute food to those in need.
• School-Based Programs: Through initiatives like the School Pantry, Kids Cafe, and Backpack Program, Second Harvest ensures that children have access to nutritious food both during and outside school hours.
• Summer Feeding Programs: When school is out of session, these programs help bridge the nutrition gap for children who normally receive free or reduced-price school meals.
• Community Kitchen: The organization prepares fresh meals for nearly 2,000 seniors daily and provides culinary job training.

Federal Assistance Programs

Federal nutrition programs provide essential support for food-insecure families in New Orleans:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): This program provides monthly benefits to eligible low-income households to purchase food. In Louisiana, SNAP served a record number of households during the pandemic.
• National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: These programs provide free or reduced-price meals to eligible students, serving as a crucial nutrition source for many children.
• WIC (Women, Infants, and Children): This program provides supplemental foods, healthcare referrals, and nutrition education for pregnant women, new mothers, and young children.

Community-Based Initiatives

Numerous community-based organizations have developed innovative approaches to address food insecurity:

• Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture: Organizations like SPROUT NOLA support community gardens that provide fresh produce while building community connections and offering educational opportunities.
• Farmers Markets and Mobile Markets: The Crescent City Farmers Market and other similar initiatives increase access to fresh, local produce in underserved neighborhoods.
• Youth Development Programs: Organizations like Youth Empowerment Project incorporate nutrition education and food access into their broader youth development work.

Innovative Solutions and Best Practices

To build on existing efforts and more effectively address food insecurity among New Orleans youth, we can look to successful models from other urban areas:

School-Based Approaches

Schools represent an ideal setting for addressing child food insecurity through comprehensive approaches:

• Universal School Meals: Providing free meals to all students regardless of income eliminates stigma and ensures all children have access to nutritious food during the school day.
• School Gardens: Integrating gardens into school curricula offers hands-on learning about food production while potentially supplementing school meals with fresh produce.
• Backpack Programs: Weekend food backpacks ensure that children have access to food when school meals are unavailable.
• Summer EBT Programs: Providing additional food benefits during summer months helps bridge the gap when school meals are unavailable.

Community Food Systems

Building stronger local food systems can improve food access while supporting local economic development:

• Community Food Hubs: Centralized locations that combine food distribution, urban agriculture, nutrition education, and workforce development have proven successful in cities like Detroit.
• Mobile Markets: Bringing fresh produce directly to underserved neighborhoods through mobile markets eliminates transportation barriers and increases consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Youth Urban Agriculture Programs: Programs that engage youth in growing, marketing, and distributing food build valuable skills while addressing food insecurity. Chicago's Windy City Harvest Youth Farm program demonstrates how urban agriculture can simultaneously address food access, youth development, and workforce training.
• Food Recovery Initiatives: Programs that recover and redistribute surplus food from restaurants, grocery stores, and institutions reduce waste while increasing food access.

Income and Economic Supports

Addressing the root causes of food insecurity requires broader economic supports:

• Guaranteed Income Programs: Following New Orleans' pilot program providing $350 monthly to disconnected youth, expanded guaranteed income initiatives could provide flexible financial resources that many families use for food.
• Living Wage Policies: Ensuring that jobs in New Orleans pay wages sufficient to meet basic needs, including food, is essential for long-term food security.
• Benefits Navigation: Programs that help families navigate and access all available benefits, from SNAP to earned income tax credits, maximize resources for food and other necessities.

Youth Voice and Leadership

Critical to any successful approach is meaningfully engaging youth as leaders in addressing food insecurity. Youth have unique insights into the challenges their communities face and innovative ideas for addressing them. Effective youth engagement strategies include:

• Youth Advisory Councils: Including youth representatives in the governance and planning of food security initiatives ensures programs reflect their experiences and needs.
• Participatory Research: Engaging youth as co-researchers to document food access challenges in their communities can identify barriers that adults might overlook.
• Youth-Led Advocacy: Supporting youth to advocate for policy changes related to food access builds civic engagement skills while potentially creating systemic change.
• Peer Education: Youth-to-youth education about nutrition, cooking, and food systems can be more effective than adult-led approaches.

Building a Comprehensive Strategy

To effectively address food insecurity among New Orleans youth, a comprehensive, coordinated strategy is needed that:

1. Addresses immediate food needs while simultaneously working on long-term, systemic solutions
2. Coordinates across sectors, including schools, healthcare, government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses
3. Centers equity by prioritizing communities with the highest rates of food insecurity
4. Engages youth as leaders and decision-makers
5. Builds on community assets rather than imposing external solutions
6. Leverages multiple funding streams, including public, private, and philanthropic resources
7. Measures impact to continuously improve and adapt strategies

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Food insecurity among New Orleans youth represents not just a failure to meet basic needs but a threat to the city's future. When children lack reliable access to nutritious food, their physical health, cognitive development, academic achievement, and long-term economic prospects all suffer. Conversely, ensuring that all young people have consistent access to nutritious food creates a foundation for them to thrive and contribute to the vibrant future of New Orleans.

Building food security for all New Orleans youth will require sustained commitment from across sectors, innovative approaches that address both immediate needs and root causes, and—most importantly—the meaningful engagement of young people themselves in designing and implementing solutions. By working together to ensure that no child in New Orleans goes hungry, we invest not just in meeting a basic human need but in cultivating the next generation of healthy, productive citizens who will shape the city's future.

On this page

• Addressing Food Insecurity and Hunger Among New Orleans Youth
• The Scale of the Challenge
• Root Causes of Food Insecurity in New Orleans
• Economic Barriers
• Food Access Challenges
• Systemic and Environmental Factors
• Current Responses to Food Insecurity
• Second Harvest Food Bank
• Federal Assistance Programs
• Community-Based Initiatives
• Innovative Solutions and Best Practices
• School-Based Approaches
• Community Food Systems
• Income and Economic Supports
• Youth Voice and Leadership
• Building a Comprehensive Strategy
• Conclusion: A Call to Action