05/11/2026
We had an incredible day at the EBR Parish 4-H Food Challenge Training, made possible through a grant secured by EBR 4-H members Amari Barber, Ella Hebert, Madison Franks, and Abigail Harr through Sodexo and Youth Service America.
Thanks to their leadership, four full teams were trained in the Louisiana 4-H Food Challenge, learning how to make healthy, delicious meals from everyday food pantry items, and supporting the Baton Rouge Food Pantry through food donations focused on addressing food insecurity.
Throughout the day, youth rotated through hands-on learning stations covering:
🥗 Nutrition & MyPlate
🧼 Food safety
🔪 Food preparation, plating, and equipment use
🗣️ Teamwork, communication, and presentation skills
💚 Food security and service
Then they put their skills into action—twice.
Working in timed team challenges, participants created healthy, balanced meals using everyday pantry items, gaining confidence and real competition experience along the way. They then presented their dishes to a panel of judges.
👏 In just one day, youth prepared their own lunch plus several complete meals, showing impressive growth, creativity, and teamwork.
🏆 The event concluded with a mock competition, judge presentations, and awards, giving participants a true taste of state-level competition.
Participants also committed to continuing their journey through the new EBR 4-H Food Challenge Club, where they’ll continue building skills through practice sessions, guest speakers, and new ingredient challenges leading up to competition season.
This initiative was led by the EBR Spice Girls who wrote and secured the grant to expand access, build skills, and help address childhood hunger through service and education.
This is what it looks like when youth don’t just participate—they lead.
