Summertime is upon us – a time that often means travel, vacation fun, and family reunions. But to many Louisianians, summertime means hunger – and our children are the most vulnerable. When school is in session, breakfast and lunch are provided five days a week, but without extra support in the summer, that equates to missing 40 meals a month. Luckily, here in New Orleans, some big-hearted hospitality industry folks are stepping up to help.

We begin with Amanda Toups of Toups' Meatery. Amanda and her husband, Isaac, first rose to the hunger challenge during the pandemic, when they handed out more than 200 meals a week to hospitality workers and their families in need. Over an 18-month period, the Toups crew delivered over 100,000 meals into the community. This summer, the indomitable duo are back at it again – now feeding food insecure children and families.

Next, we speak with New Orleans newcomer Mark Bucher of the steakhouse Medium Rare. Mark is helping feed our community through his nonprofit, Feed The Fridge, a successful program first developed during the pandemic in Washington, D.C., where Medium Rare originated.

Finally, we learn about Nourish Louisiana, a state-funded food purchase program that buys food from local farmers from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and feeds communities that need it most. We speak with two of the program's partners: Natalie Jayroe of Second Harvest Food Bank and Margee Green of Sprout NOLA.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.