Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland released data from the latest Map the Meal Gap study, and the numbers show an increase in food insecurity across the organization’s 42-county service area.
FAKH Marketing and Communications Manager Manda Barger said 19.2 percent of residents in the service area are food insecure, with the number of food insecure children reaching 27.5 percent. Numbers in Hardin County were below the district average, but above the national average.
“In Hardin County, we saw child food insecurity of 26.5 percent and for overall 17.7 percent,” Barger said.
For Breckinridge County, the child food insecurity rate was 26.5 percent, while the overall rate was 20.3 percent.
Barger said food insecurity for many families is a hidden problem because people fear the stigma of asking for help, but it is a problem that often wears many faces.
“It can be grandparents taking care of grandkids over the summer and they can’t rely on schools for breakfast and lunch,” Barger said. “It can be a family that was hit by a medical emergency and the debt that that can bring. It can be a sudden plant closure.”
Despite the struggles shown by the study, Barger said the study also shows the hard work put in by the organization, its volunteers, and its community partners.
“We were able to, as an overall region, serve 19.9 million pounds of food last year through our 260 agency partners throughout the region,” Barger said. “That equates to about 16.5 million meals.”
September is a great time to get involved with the organization’s efforts as it is Hunger Action Month. Read more results from the study and learn how to get involved at www.feedingamericaky.org.
