NEW ORLEANS, La. –Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana (Louisiana Blue), Healthy Blue Louisiana and Entergy Louisiana are teaming up to host a community meal-packing party on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 19). This event supports the second
Million Meals for MLK campaign from Volunteer Louisiana and Feeding Louisiana, which aims to collect one million or more meals for local food banks during January.
Employees from these organizations and their families will gather at Dillard University’s Dent Hall Natatorium and pack “oh seaux good” red beans and rice meal kits that include Louisiana-grown rice donated by Cajun Country Rice in Crowley. They’ll be joined by volunteers from Divine Nine Greek organizations at local universities. Second Harvest Food Bank will distribute all meals packed at this event to local families in need.
“Louisiana Blue, Entergy Louisiana and Healthy Blue Louisiana have sponsored volunteer meal-packing events around the state for several years now. We’re excited that for 2026, we’re hosting the largest pack party we’ve ever had in the New Orleans region, with nearly 300 volunteers using their day off as a ‘day on’ to serve their community,” said Michael Tipton, Louisiana Blue Foundation president and vice president, Community Relations. “We expect to pack more than 100,000 meals at this event, which will help Second Harvest Food Bank restock supplies after the busy holiday season.”
The New Orleans event is one of nine that the three organizations are sponsoring statewide in January, with a goal of packing half a million meals total in support of the
Million Meals for MLK campaign.
Entergy Louisiana and Louisiana Blue signed on as the first corporate sponsors of the
Million Meals for MLK campaign in honor of their recognition as
Louisiana businesses included among The Civic 50. This is an annual designation from the Points of Light Foundation of the 50 most community-minded companies in America. Louisiana Blue has been recognized for the past seven years, and Entergy has been recognized for the past 10 years.
“Martin Luther King Jr. was an advocate for ending poverty, which includes fighting hunger and food insecurity,” said Rod Teamer, Louisiana Blue director, Connection and Belonging. “It’s important to our employees that we have this opportunity on his National Day of Service to give back to our community. We’re proud to grow our pack party in New Orleans and invite more volunteers from local universities to get involved in meeting the needs of our friends and neighbors.”
Media are invited to attend the pack party between 10-11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, film video or take photos, and interview volunteers and representatives from the sponsoring organizations.
WHAT: New Orleans
Million Meals for MLK Pack Party
WHEN: Monday, Jan. 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day – National Day of Service), 10-11 a.m.
WHERE: Dillard University’s Dent Hall Natatorium, 2601 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70122
WHO: Volunteers from Louisiana Blue, Entergy Louisiana, Healthy Blue Louisiana and Divine Nine Greek organizations from area universities will pack more than 100,000 meals for local families
While this volunteer event is for Louisiana Blue, Entergy Louisiana and Healthy Blue Louisiana employees and their families, there are many ways Louisianians can share, serve and support the
Million Meals for MLK campaign. Visit
MillionMealsforMLK.org to find events near you, donate to your local food bank and see how you can help the state collect 1 million or more meals this January.
About Feeding Louisiana
Feeding Louisiana: 64 parishes, 5 food banks, 1 mission. Feeding Louisiana’s mission is to be a unified voice for Louisiana's hunger by providing short-term food relief while seeking long-term solutions to hunger through advocacy, education, and leadership. Serving all 64 Louisiana parishes through more than 1,000 community partners and food pantries, the Feeding Louisiana network includes the Food Bank of Central Louisiana, the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana. Learn more at
FeedingLouisiana.org.
About Louisiana Blue
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, or Louisiana Blue, is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianans. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying, not-for-profit health insurer with offices in every major region of Louisiana to serve our customers. We have been recognized for the past seven years as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States. J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Satisfaction Study ranked us #1 in member satisfaction among commercial health plans in the East South Central Region. Louisiana Blue also was nationally recognized for exceptional customer service by USA Today's America's Best Customer Service 2025.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. We invite all Louisianans to visit our website at lablue.com or talk to us on social media @MyLouisianaBlue.
About Healthy Blue
Healthy Blue is a managed healthcare provider that has been serving the state since 2012, and currently serves the state’s Medicaid, Medicaid Expansion and LaCHIP programs. Healthy Blue, a joint venture between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and Anthem Partnership Holding Company, LLC (parent company, Anthem, Inc.), recognizes the challenges low-income and underserved individuals face, and tailors its programs such that health plan members are assured care that is not only accessible, but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated and patient-centered. Healthy Blue provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their healthcare. Also, through health education programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain healthy lifestyles. To learn more about Healthy Blue, visit www.myhealthybluela.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter @HealthyBlueLA and LinkedIn @healthy-blue-louisiana.
About Entergy Louisiana
Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Entergy Louisiana is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 24,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 5,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,000 employees.
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