BATON ROUGE - Volunteer groups and local food banks are partnering to provide a million meals around the state by January in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. 

MLK Day is celebrated in the first month of the year, and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank wants to reach the one million goal by that day. 

"This is really an opportunity for all of us collectively to make a difference," said Judd Jeansonne with Volunteer Louisiana. "The holiday season is about a time of giving. We'll be coming through that holiday season but it doesn't have to end there. We can kick off a new year in that same spirit."

The campaign is an effort to combat food insecurity in Louisiana by restocking state food banks after the busy holiday season.

"This effort is awesome, to see other people stepping up. Raising their hands and saying 'I see the need, I'm willing to donate the cans I have in my pantry, or donate ten dollars or show up at food bank and volunteer., That's how we're ultimately going to address this need in a consistent way, is all of us giving back where we can," Louisiana Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation President Michael Tipton said.

For more information about the initiative and how to help, visit its website here.