Gov. John Bel Edwards is urging Louisiana residents to make donations to their local food banks during the holiday period, saying supplies are low.
The Democratic governor and his wife Donna went to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to draw attention to the need for contributions.
Edwards says food banks across the country have been offering assistance to areas hard-hit by recent disasters, depleting food bank shelves by lessening availability of bulk food products usually offered for the hungry.
Mike Manning, president of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, says the shortage of food makes for a tough situation ahead of the holidays.
But he says there's still time to turn it around through awareness of the need. A list of food banks in Louisiana is online at gov.la.gov/FeedingLouisiana .