Kentucky leaders, organizations kick off Hunger Action Month
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Feeding Kentucky, along with state officials, First Lady Britainy Beshear and more, gathered at the state capitol Monday for the kickoff to Hunger Action Month.
The month calls on everyone to take action to make sure their neighbors are fed.
“If we all do one thing, those little things become big things,” said Beshear.
In Kentucky, nearly 580,000 people, or 13%, face hunger, according to Feeding Kentucky.
That includes more than 150,000 kids.
“I believe it’s the government’s responsibility to help people who need help and children in Kentucky, we have a lot of children in Kentucky that go to bed hungry,” said U.S. Rep. James Comer.
“Food insecurity doesn’t just impact our kids,” said U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey. “It affects working parents. It affects seniors. There are too many people in this state who live in food deserts.”
At the Jeffersontown Area Ministries, Executive Director Marlon Cummings says hunger insecurities grew during the pandemic, but still haven’t gone down.
“I've been doing this over 25 years. The numbers we're seeing not just my agency, but across the whole metro area and across the whole food network across United States, food costs more,” said Cummings. “Electricity cost more, water costs more, insurance cost more, everything costs more.”
Valerie Stark benefits from the pantry.
She says after losing her job, having access to the pantry takes away the decision of having to choose between buying for food or paying a bill.
“You do have those conversations where, you know, you try to pay what's most important,” she said. “So it's either rent or, you know, electric bill or something.”
Cummings said one way to get involved is by giving, either by giving your time, money or donating.
“We have a simple mission statement,” he started. “It’s neighbors helping neighbors. And sometimes you’re the neighbor who needs help and sometimes you’re the neighbor who needs to help. And so regardless of which side of the helping you are on, we’re here to serve.”
By: Madison Elliott
Source: WLKY