skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Arkansas Ranked Second-Worst in U.S. for Food Insecurity

play audio
Play

Monday, May 15, 2017   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The rate of food insecurity is improving across Arkansas, but a new report shows the state remains the second worst in the nation for people's overall access to healthy food.

The study from the group Feeding America says in 2015, overall household food insecurity in the state fell to 18.4 percent, from just over 19 percent the previous year.

But Nancy Conley, communications director for the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, says that's still well above the national rate of 13.4 percent.

"With the economy improving, people are still having trouble affording food,” she states. “Even though unemployment is at a very low level in Arkansas, these are low-level jobs and people who are on SNAP, or what used to be called food stamps, are still struggling."

Conley says food insecurity, also known as the meal gap, is defined as limited or uncertain access to an adequate amount of healthy food due to economic or social conditions.

She adds that, while she believes the Alliance is making a difference for families, 550,000 Arkansans still struggle to put food on the table.

In the report, Arkansas ranks second only to neighboring Mississippi. And while the meal gap is closing for children in the state, Conley says there's room for improvement.

"The child food insecurity rate dropped over 1 percent – 1.3 percent,” she states. “At 25 percent, that's still 1 out of 4 Arkansas kids that are considered food insecure, and that's still too high."

Conley says statistics show food insecurity is highest in the state's rural counties, particularly those in the Mississippi River delta region.

"People in rural areas don't have the resources that they need,” she points out. “Often, they are food deserts. Kids in the summer that usually would depend on school lunch and school breakfast, they can't get there. Transportation is a significant barrier."

The report says the average food budget for a household affected by food insecurity falls short by more than $500 a year.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…


Ohio is among 13 jurisdictions requiring Saturday and Sunday hours for early voting. (PX Media/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Menhaden are forage fish species and filter feeders, each capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water per minute. (Photo of female Osprey with Menhaden/TRCP)

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021