skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

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

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report Ranks Arkansas 2nd for Food Insecurity

play audio
Play

Monday, May 7, 2018   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Despite making some progress in recent years, a new report shows that Arkansas remains the second highest state in the country for food insecurity.

The report, "Map the Meal Gap," shows that at least 41 million Americans, including 13 million children, are food- insecure, meaning they regularly lack access to enough food for an active, healthy life.

Nancy Conley, communications director for the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, says while the report lists several factors that can trigger food insecurity, it really boils down to one thing.

"The primary driver of hunger is poverty,” she states. “And if you look at poverty and hunger rates, they pretty well track. Until we can get our hands around poverty, hunger is just going to persist."

The report, produced by Feeding America, a national coalition of food banks, finds that more than 515,000 Arkansans struggle to find enough to eat.

Of that total, 165,000 are children, ranking the state third for childhood hunger.

The study, published for the eighth consecutive year, lists food insecurity rates by state, county and congressional district.

Conley says factors such as high poverty, unemployment and a lack of services mean food insecurity is highest in the state's rural counties.

"There are food deserts in many of our small rural areas that don't have access to grocery stores or farmers markets or food pantries,” she explains. “So, it becomes a downhill slide when all of these things conspire."

Conley says that while the report shows there is still a food insecurity crisis in Arkansas, the state has made some progress on the percentage of people affected.

"In 2015, it was 19.7, and now it's 17.2,” she points out. “We're seeing a decline, and even though that may not be statistically significant, you're talking about 20,000 more kids that are not food insecure."

Conley says the current debate in Congress over proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is alarming. She says about one in four Arkansans who are considered food-insecure already are not eligible for federal nutrition programs.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

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