HARLAN COUNTY, Ky. – A new report shows nearly 17 percent of Kentuckians are at risk of hunger.

The Map the Meal Gap 2016 study by Feeding America, a network of food banks, tracks food insecurity county by county across the country.

Betty Hudak is director of the St. Stephens Outreach Pantry in Harlan County, which has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the state at more than 22 percent.

"Because the economy's bad, a lot of people they're not blessed to be able to go out of town to shop for groceries and get a better price,” she states. “Some people will go hungry before they will come and stand in line. But, I have people that stand in line for two hours to get a box of food. "

Hudak says the pantry she runs in Cumberland distributes 300 to 400 food boxes a month, each box providing a family of three enough food for three to five meals.

Map the Meal Gap estimates it would take an additional $346 million to meet Kentuckians' food needs.

Food insecurity is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's measure of the lack of access at times to enough food for an active, healthy life for everyone in a household.

The report reveals that nearly three out of 10 food insecure individuals in Kentucky have income levels that prevent them from qualifying for federal nutrition assistance.

Hudak says she runs into that constantly, especially with seniors on fixed incomes.

"By the time that they pay for their medicine, their utilities and everything, they don't have the funds to buy the food," she explains.

But it's children, according to the report, who are at the highest risk of food insecurity, with the rate at nearly 22 percent statewide. And, it's over 30 percent in 11 counties, including Wolfe, where Rev. Eugene Spencer's church runs the Abiding Hope Food Pantry.

"When they call in distress or something, they always say that there's children involved,” he points out. “There's a lot of children that go without. It seems like that the money gets used for other things and then food is kind of like the last thing to worry about and there's a lot of children that suffer because of that. "

According to the report, 37 percent of children in Wolfe County face food insecurity, the highest rate in the state.







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Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing similar issues.

The advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed's Food Access Community Advocates Cohort educates people over nine months how to build advocacy, community organizing and storytelling skills, so they are better equipped to understand policies affecting the state's most food insecure people.

Megan Hamann, senior community organizer of food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed, said having experienced hunger puts them in a better position to understand and talk about policy issues affecting hungry people in Nebraska.

"They have this lived experience that is really useful, I think, when it comes to making sure that our decision-makers know the impact of the policies they are considering," Hamann explained.

Nebraska Appleseed will start taking applications for new program participants Friday.

Hamann pointed out the number of food insecure people in Nebraska is greater now than it was during the pandemic, when demand at food banks was already high.

"I think with the passage of the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, we are looking forward to a period of time where that need is going to reach new extremes," Hamann projected.

This will be the fourth year of the cohort program. Many past participants have taken leadership roles in their communities and are now leading local efforts to educate others about the best ways to address food insecurity.


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It has been about three weeks since the Rowena Fire in Oregon's Columbia Gorge was put out, and the local food bank remains vital to recovery efforts.

The fire burned 3,600 acres in Wasco County, destroying 56 homes and 100 other structures.

Breen Goodwin, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, said they are always prepared to assist during disasters with ready-to-eat emergency food boxes and water. She added many displaced families are living with relatives, in hotels, or camping and remain uncertain about their next steps.

"It is difficult in a community of our size to absorb housing needs for that many families who have lost homes," Goodwin acknowledged. "That next step of the recovery process of truly: 'How are those families being supported with more long term recovery efforts?'"

Breen pointed out the food bank has been serving as a distribution site to hand out supplies from Adventist Health of the Columbia Gorge and other organizations who donated nonfood items, including air purifiers, generators, hygiene supplies and stuffed animals for kids.

One of the biggest challenges, Breen noted, is keeping a supply of drinking water flowing once people start to return home.

"We're able to drop full pallets of water directly into the impacted communities because most of the time the drinking water is no longer safe until enough testing has been done," Breen explained.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Breen emphasized the number of people visiting the food bank rose to about 6,500 per month during the pandemic and has remained at that level. People can visit OregonFoodFinder.org to find pantry locations in their area.

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


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