By james art 
BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge woman inspired by a nonprofit food program in Los Angeles is working to start one in the Capital Region.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Natalie Flores-Bleckner founded Nourish LA and connected thousands of families with food that would otherwise have been thrown away in Los Angeles. Flores-Bleckner said she saw the need to start the program after seeing families facing hunger. It grows rapidly and eventually catches the attention of Jasmine Jones in Baton Rouge.
“I found Natalie’s Nourish LA video on YouTube around 11 at night. I’m in my bed, I start yelling at my husband. I’m like, “This is what the Lord is showing us. That’s what Baton Rouge, Louisiana needs to do,” Jones said.
She immediately reached out to Flores-Bleckner, and that’s when the two began mentoring. After months of hooking up online and on the phone, the two finally met face-to-face on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
“It was surreal for so many different reasons, because the endless potential that lies in these relationships between us just reinforced my faith in God and in humanity,” Flores-Blackner said.
Jones said she had to bring the Nourish LA program to Baton Rouge after seeing statistics showing Louisiana ranks high in food insecurity, especially among children and seniors.
The two said to make that vision a reality, they need all hands on deck from the community.
“If you’re a restaurant, bakery, small business owner, or grocery store, give us everything – everything! I don’t think people understand how hard this is,” Jones said.
They are accepting all resources to help the food pantry get the program up and running in the metropolitan region. If you would like to help out and volunteer with the program, email Jones at [email protected].