FRANKFORT, Ky. -- As the food-insecurity crisis continues, Kentucky growers are stepping in to fill the void.

Last year 371 farmers participated in the state's Farms to Food Banks program, and advocates say a funding boost could help feed more families at a time when many are facing financial hardship, while also financially compensating growers.

Karena Cash, advocacy director for Feeding Kentucky, said during the pandemic more families are relying on food assistance than ever. She said providing nutrient-dense, locally grown produce to households is a top priority.

"We have enough food in this country to feed every single person," Cash asserted. "It's just about finding creative solutions to make sure that families are actually getting the food."

In 2020, Farms to Food Banks provided 4.5 million meals to families in the Commonwealth while paying farmers an average of $2,013 to cover the costs of harvesting, packaging, and transporting donated agricultural products to a food bank or pantry.

Last month, Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation declaring Jan. 28 Hunger Free Day.

Katrina Thompson, executive director of Feeding Kentucky, said the program is funded by a state budget appropriation of $500,000 annually, along with help from private donors and residents who choose to donate a portion of their state tax refund.

But she noted more resources are needed, given the unprecedented level of demand driven by the COVID-19 crisis.

"Our dollars are spread among seven food banks across Kentucky," Thompson explained. "And those provide fresh Kentucky-grown produce that would otherwise go to waste. "

Cash added Feeding Kentucky hopes state lawmakers will boost the program's budget appropriation to $600,000 annually, so more families can access local produce.

"All the money that we get goes directly toward feeding families," Cash stated. "A hundred extra thousand dollars is a hundred extra thousand dollars worth of produce that we can put into the hands of Kentucky families."

More than a half million Kentuckians get groceries or meals from food banks, and one in six households with children experiences food insecurity. The state also has the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation among adults ages 50 to 59.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- More than $1 million in COVID-19 relief grants are helping rural organizations increase their focus on locally sourced food relief.

Merry Davis, director of healthy food for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina, explained the grants, issued in partnership with The Conservation Fund, focused on non-urban counties.

She said rural regions continue to face significant challenges.

"A lot of these rural communities are high-yield agricultural areas and a lot of these organizations are partnering with small and mid-sized farms to provide local food," Davis outlined. "So not only is it providing people food, but it's also supporting local farmers."

The need for food has increased in North Carolina as the pandemic drags on, with nearly 20% of all residents facing food insecurity, according to the group Feeding America.

Deborah Freeman, program director for the Good Shepherd Food Pantry of Bertie County, said the extra cash will help her organization support local farmers, bring more produce to families, and provide commercial refrigeration to extend the shelf life needed to distribute fresh produce.

"We were able to get a commercial freezer, a commercial refrigerator," Freeman recounted. "We were able to locate local farmers in the area, purchase food from them. That food went to the farmer's market."

Dru Zucchino, executive director of TRACTOR Food and Farms in Yancey County, said the support has helped his group expand services across western North Carolina, increasing access to community-grown foods to more than 11,000 food-insecure individuals.

"We were able to reach whoever needed it, so if we ran out in one place we could continue serving that constituency, or that population, without question," Zucchino pointed out. "It was super important to have that flexibility through a pandemic."

Federal data released earlier this month showed nationwide, food insecurity spiked among households with children, Black households and households in the South.

The food-insecurity gap between Black and white households has widened, with 21.7% of Black households not knowing where their next meal would come from, compared with 7.1% of white households.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Groups fighting hunger and poverty in Oregon are urging renewed action this month to ensure that everyone is fed. September is Hunger Action Month across the country.

Oregon Food Bank is holding its "State of Hunger" address virtually this Friday, which also is Hunger Action Day. Susannah Morgan, chief executive of Oregon Food Bank, said the pandemic has been hard on many families - and recovery could be slow.

"Hunger nearly doubled in Oregon and southwest Washington," she said, "and it would have been worse were it not for federal stimulus efforts - stimulus checks directly to people, or additional unemployment benefits or additional benefits through SNAP, moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures."

Morgan said many of these federal policies are expiring, causing worry that more people could experience greater food insecurity heading into the winter months. Oregon Food Bank's network of pantries and partners across the state and in southwest Washington reached more than 1.7 million people over the past year.

Hunger was an issue before the pandemic, Morgan noted, and some communities - including neighborhoods of color and immigrant communities - face disproportionate impacts from food insecurity. She encouraged people to get involved this month.

"This is Hunger Action Month, right? It's not hunger 'awareness' month," she said. "And so, what we are hoping is that every person in the community will take some action. Whatever action is in your heart."

Morgan said there are many ways for folks to take that action, whether it's donating food or money, volunteering at a local food pantry, or writing to their elected officials. Oregon Food Bank's State of Hunger address will begin at 10:45 a.m. on Friday.

MINNEAPOLIS -- More Minnesota school districts are welcoming back students this week. Because of the pandemic, schools are receiving federal aid to boost their meal services, and a new Minnesota law blocks them from acting forcibly over unpaid lunch debt.

The bipartisan provision, included in a new spending bill, seeks to end "lunch-shaming" and calls for state intervention if a violation occurs.

Leah Gardner, policy director for Hunger Solutions Minnesota, said they had been working on this issue for nearly a decade. Leading up to the pandemic, she pointed out, it was still a problem even with past incidents garnering negative attention.

"We have continued to see some practices, such as dumping kids' lunches in front of all the other students," Gardner reported.

For now, the federal government is reimbursing districts for free meals to all students, and groups like Hunger Solutions continue to press for universal lunches when things return to normal.

Gardner noted one plan calls on the state to better utilize the federal funds available for high-poverty districts to offer meals to everyone. GOP lawmakers have cited cost concerns when debating an expansion of school meal programs.

There are also calls for Congress to improve the funding formula, potentially allowing more schools to qualify for what's known as the Community Eligibility Provision, when a majority of their students are lower-income.

Colleen Moriarty, executive director for Hunger Solutions Minnesota, said the eventual goal is lunches for all students, no matter their background. She contended the past year has changed the conversation about food insecurity, and students' needs.

"If you're concerned about behavior or absenteeism, or the ability to focus, there is no greater way to reinforce the importance of being able and ready to learn than by making sure that people have the nutrition they need," Moriarty asserted.

Some states, like California and Maine, have adopted their own universal lunch programs. Responding to cost concerns cited by opponents, supporters argue in addition to reducing stigma, such a move could reduce administrative costs.