Taylor Porter Partner Eddie Hughes has been elected Board Chairman of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, which distributes approximately 250,000 pounds of food each week to more than 150 agencies within East Baton Rouge Parish and 11 surrounding parishes. Through these agencies, the Food Bank supplies about 9.5 million meals to the hungry in the Baton Rouge area every year. The total need is around 24 million meals per year, making the gap 11.5 million meals.  

“It is a honor to serve as this year’s Board Chair of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank - when people are affected by hunger, we all feel the impact. In communities where hunger is a problem, education, unemployment, crime, and health care are all negatively affected as well,” Hughes said.

Hughes has been a board member of the GBRFB for several years, served as vice chair in 2016, and Taylor Porter has been a long supporter of the Food Bank’s efforts.

The Food Bank board has a new chairman, vice chairman, treasurer, secretary and two new members at large. Carla Courtney (Partner, Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice, LLP) was selected as vice chairman; Ed Collins (Sales Associate, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry) was selected as secretary; Jude Guerin (Partner, Apple Guerin Company, LLC) was selected as treasurer; and Manard Lagasse (Vice President and General Counsel, Associated Grocers), and Cheryl A. Olinde (Community Volunteer) were selected board members at large. 

“We are very pleased to welcome these six individuals to our 2017 executive committee,” said Michael G. Manning, President & CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. “This committee, as well as each member on our board, plays an integral role in the success of the Food Bank in serving those facing hunger throughout our community. Their experience and leadership skills will help us implement new, innovative ideas that will help the Food Bank have a successful year as we strive to decrease the meal gap of 24 million meals in our service area.”

The Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that solicits, procures, inventories and warehouses donated food and other products. This food is then distributed to a variety of community agencies such as pantries, meal sites, homes, shelters and soup kitchens which serve the people in need. In 2016, the Food Bank distributed more than 10.7 million meals. The Food Bank can provide four meals for each dollar donated. Last year, more than 4,025 volunteers donated time.

Also in 2016, the Food Bank suffered a $7.5 million total financial impact resulting from the August flooding in Baton Rouge, and lost more than 575,000 pounds of food. The flooding temporarily moved the Food Bank out of its warehouse operations until its return in September.

“As an organization we have made tremendous progress, and thanks to the long hours from all of our volunteers and staff, the many gracious donations from businesses, and the resilient support of our community, we have been able to bounce back from the flooding damage, but we still have a long way to go,” Hughes said. “Because of the devastation and disruption to our many parishes and areas, people need the support of the Food Bank more than ever, and I look forward to serving in a leadership role to help continue to fulfill our mission of feeding the hungry when our community needs it the most.”

Practicing law since 2004, Hughes is a partner with Taylor Porter, and he serves as the Chair of the Oil/Gas/Regulated Industry practice. Hughes’ primary areas of practice include Commercial Litigation, Oil and Gas Litigation and Transactions, Toxic Tort Litigation, and Insurance Defense and Casualty Litigation.

Hughes received his J.D. from the LSU Law Center in 2004, and he graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette) with a B.A. in Political Science in 1994. Before law school, Hughes worked as an independent petroleum landman where he negotiated the sale and acquisition of potential and existing oil and gas properties for various small to medium-sized oil and gas exploration companies.