OWENSBORO, Ky. -- The state's food banks say they're seeing an alarming number of adults approaching retirement age who need help putting food on the table because of lost wages or employment due to COVID-19.

Even before the pandemic, Kentucky had the highest rate of food-insecure older adults in the nation, but advocates said more newcomers, many who have never had to rely on food assistance, are now seeking help.

Dana Pevler, executive director for the Senior Community Center of Owensboro-Daviess County, said her organization provides Meals on Wheels, and serves drive-through lunches at five different locations in the region.

She said the spike in demand hasn't slowed down since the onset of the pandemic.

"While we should be seeing a waning off of some of these clients, we're not; we're seeing continued growth, steady growth, seven clients a week, maybe more, that are joining us on meals," Pevler said. "And so what that does for us, as providers, it worries us."

She added despite the challenges, food banks and senior centers are committed to ensuring older Kentuckians have enough to eat during the public health crisis.

From March through June of this year, more than 120,000 Commodity Supplemental Food Program boxes were distributed to older adults and seniors in the state through regional food-assistance groups.

Pevler said distribution networks such as Meals on Wheels and other home-delivery programs do more to support communities than many people realize.

"The criticality of the home-delivered meal program is astronomical," Pevler said. "We're not just dropping off a meal. It's way more than a meal. It's having an extra set of eyes and ears stopping in that home every day, making sure they're healthy, they're safe, and they're cared for."

The Novak Family Foundation works with regional organizations that provide food assistance.

Ashley Novak Butler, executive director for the foundation, said she has noticed an overwhelming uptick in funding requests.

"It's one that we're finding in those grant requests that come from a lot of the local Kentucky organizations; you know, the local and statewide organizations," Butler said. "A lot of those grant requests are for addressing the senior population."

Experts say boosting SNAP benefits by at least 15% as part of additional coronavirus relief legislation would help more households and older adults purchase food, while reducing the number of individuals leaning on food banks and pantries.

Research shows for every one meal provided by a food bank, SNAP provides nine.


get more stories like this via email

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.


get more stories like this via email

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.


get more stories like this via email