Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman proclaimed September as Hunger Action Month at a God’s Pantry Food Bank event Tuesday.
The proclamation is meant to raise awareness for food insecurity in the Commonwealth.
“I'm looking forward to the day where we don't have to do this and gather in this way, but until then, we have a lot of work in front of us, and I'm so honored to be here with the people that are in the trenches doing this work, serving our families every single day,” Coleman said at the event.
Nonprofit Feeding Kentucky says one out of every six Kentuckians is food insecure. That’s more than 700,000 people.
It’s especially a problem in rural eastern Kentucky communities. Nicky Stacy is the founder of the Hazel Green Food Project, which is based in the region.
“People who are making it a year ago, this time, they're not making it, they need the extra help,” Stacy said. “Grocery prices are still up there… the prices aren't the cheapest, and our nearest Walmart or Kroger is about an hour or over away, and so we have to pay the ridiculous prices.”
CheyAnne Fant is the nutrition services director at Barren County Schools. She advocated for a universal free lunch program that helps keep kids in her district fed.
“It erases that stigma, because if someone who you know has the cool shoes at school, or has the things that other kids are wanting to to have, right along with a student who was born into a family that doesn't have that privilege and that opportunity, for them to be able to be equals at that point is so important,” Fant said.
Cuts to federal SNAP funding could put that program in jeopardy. Fant says the less families who are on the program, the higher the budget would be for school lunches. That would mean less fresh produce or lower-quality meals.
Banks like Hazel Green and God’s Pantry are using the month as a way to find volunteers. Stacy says it’s always a need.
