New Food Pantry to Open at Capitol High with Community Partner Support
BATON ROUGE, La. – Baton Rouge General and Capitol High School today announced the opening of a new food pantry at the school. The Lion’s Den Food Pantry is made possible with generous support from the Charles Lamar Family Foundation and the Joe Burrow Foundation, in partnership with the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and LSU AgCenter.
Leaders from BRG, the school, supporters and partners will celebrate the opening at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. Capitol High is now located on the campus of Capitol Middle School, 5100 Greenwell Springs Road.
The pantry has everything needed to serve as a fully stocked source of healthy food options, including shelving, a commercial refrigerator and freezer, a microwave, food boxes, and filling, nutritious snacks.
As a partner agency of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, the Lion’s Den Food Pantry will implement The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Through this program, food boxes with staple items will be assembled and available for pickup from the school on designated monthly food distribution days. In addition to these food boxes, the pantry will also receive additional donated items when available through the Food Bank.
The LSU AgCenter will supply recipe cards and insulated bags for frozen and cold items in the pantry. The Lion’s Den Food Pantry plans to expand its list of partners, including retail stores that will donate food items to support the pantry’s mission and long-term impact.
One in seven people in Louisiana struggles with access to healthy food. When students and families don’t have reliable access to healthy food, it can have a negative impact on learning, energy, and focus at school and also increase stress, illness, and long-term health problems at home.
“Every student deserves access to the basic resources they need to learn, grow, and thrive,” said Robin Burrow, secretary and treasurer of the Joe Burrow Foundation. “The Lion’s Den Food Pantry will help ensure students and families at Capitol High have reliable access to healthy food, reducing barriers that can stand in the way of success.”
“Access to healthy food is foundational to student well being and academic success," said Charles W. Lamar III, president of The Charles Lamar Family Foundation. “We are proud to support the Lion’s Den Food Pantry and the partners who are working together to strengthen students, families, and the surrounding community.”
The day-to-day operations of the food pantry will be coordinated by a team of leaders and students at Capitol High School. Baton Rouge General and the East Baton Rouge Parish School System have partnered since 2022. BRG works with Capitol High, in addition to Capitol Elementary and Park Medical Academy, to offer students real-world experience and early exposure to healthcare careers. Together, they continue to build on students’ foundations in math and science to ensure students have the knowledge, resources, and skills necessary to achieve their future career goals in medicine, healthcare, or other STEM-based fields.
About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program and Internal Medicine Residency Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.