FRANKFORT, Ky. – An annual snapshot of food insecurity shows Kentucky is making some strides in the fight to end hunger.

The Map the Meal Gap 2017 report by Feeding America released Thursday tracks who is struggling with hunger and where they live.

According to the findings, Kentucky's food insecurity rate of 16 percent fell about 1 percent from last year.

Food insecurity rates are down overall since 2011, and Tamara Sandberg, executive director of the Kentucky Association of Food Banks, says she's thrilled to see the improvement.

"That gives us hope that there is a solution to hunger in Kentucky and we're working to find it,” she states. “We believe the public/private partnerships that we see in Kentucky are part of the reason we're seeing progress made in the fight against hunger, such as the Department of Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles' hunger initiative."

Sandberg notes that progress needs to continue. The state's food insecurity rate is still higher than the national average of 14 percent, with nearly 700,000 Kentuckians, including more than 200,000 children, unsure where they will get their next meal.

Food insecure people in Kentucky face an average food budget shortfall of $15.79 each week.

Michael Halligan, chief executive officer of God's Pantry Food Bank in Wolfe County, cites a variety of reasons people struggle to put food on the table.

The food insecurity rate in Wolfe County is 23 percent, the highest in the state.

"It's access to sustainable wages,” he stresses. “A person who's at risk of hunger may have unexpectedly lost a job, or they may have had unexpected medical bills or they may have a mountain of debt through school loans. They could be a senior, who's living on a fixed income."

Halligan adds there is continued need for not just strong federal nutrition programs, but also food pantries, meal programs and other charitable assistance.

"The hunger safety net – not only here in central and eastern Kentucky, but across the United States – it's a wonderful role that citizens and government play in helping those that are less fortunate,” he states. “And it's important to continue supporting that safety net."

According to the study, more than 1 in 4 people in food insecure households in Kentucky have incomes that make them likely ineligible for most federal nutrition assistance programs.





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Alabama is one of 14 states opting out of the 2024 summer electronic benefit program.

As summer rolls around, there will be no programs in place to help low-income families with grocery costs.

LaTrell Clifford Wood, hunger policy advocate for the group Alabama Arise, said as a result, more than 500,000 children who usually receive free or reduced lunch could go without meals. She noted while summer feeding programs will be available, they will not reach everyone in need.

"Ninety-four percent of Alabama children who rely on free and reduced-price meals won't have access to them over the summer," Wood reported. "That means that only 6% of the children who rely on those meals during the school year are going to be fed through summer feeding programs."

Wood warned limited hours, transportation and strict program rules will hinder many families from benefiting from such vital programs. The Alabama Legislature did not allocate the necessary $15 million for the program by the end of the last session. However, Wood noted there is a chance the program will be funded in the summer of 2025.

As legislators focus on next year's budgets, Wood stressed the need for funding next summer's EBT program. She pointed out Alabama Arise is calling for lawmakers to allocate funds from the general fund or Education Trust Fund to combat child hunger, affecting one in four children in the state.

"This is a program that's been tested for 13 years," Wood emphasized. "It's had three rigorous evaluation periods, and it was shown to improve the diet of children and decrease children's food hardship by a third."

Wood believes prioritizing children's needs and addressing food insecurity is a form of preventive care and serves as an early investment in the state's overall wellness.

The Food Research and Action Center said funding the e-benefits program would also benefit the economy - adding anywhere from $98 million to $117 million. The Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee is expected to vote on the budget next week.

California's program helping low-income families buy fresh fruit and vegetables is on the chopping block and health care advocates are asking legislators to save the Market Match program.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed cutting most of the program's $35 million budget to help close the state's budget shortfall.

Sophia Vaccaro, a participant in Market Match from Echo Park, said she depends on Market Match in more ways than one.

"It helps people being able to stretch their budget further," Vaccaro explained. "Then, I think it helps the community, in that it creates a sense of camaraderie at the farmers' market and makes people more invested in the community itself."

The program matches every dollar CalFresh customers spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at a farmer's market up to between $10 and $20 per day. It is active at 294 sites across the state and is partially paid for through federal matching funds.

Dr. John Maa, surgeon at Marin Health Medical Center and board member of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the American Heart Association, said Market Match promotes healthy eating and boosts the local farm economy.

"An improved diet really will have long-term meaningful impacts on health, and also reduce health care costs," Maa explained. "It really helps to sustain the growers and the merchants. I guess it's a win-win-win."

Siu Han Cheung, outreach coordinator for the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and board member of the Heart of the City Farmers' Market, argued the program is vital to residents across the state.

"If the Market Match will be cut, that is terrible," Cheung stressed. "That means they have less money to buy their food. So, Market Match is very important for the low-income families and the seniors."

Legislators and the governor are working toward the May budget revisions, and must pass a balanced budget by June 15.

South Dakotans face high prices at the grocery store and some are working to ease the burden.

A new report from the Federal Trade Commission finds some grocery retailers used the supply-chain disruptions of the pandemic to raise prices and collect bigger profits, even after supply chains regulated.

One South Dakota group is trying to reduce sticker shock by targeting the state sales tax on groceries. Dakotans for Health is sponsoring a citizens ballot initiative to repeal the 4.2 % tax.

Rick Weiland, co-founder of the group, said lower food bills would make a meaningful difference for some.

"People of modest means, or low income hardworking families, disproportionately spend upwards of 30% on food," Weiland pointed out. "This is going to be helpful."

South Dakota is one of only two states in the country to apply its full state sales tax rate to groceries with no exemptions, Mississippi being the other. More than 9% of South Dakotans are considered food insecure, meaning they do not always have access to enough healthy food.

The grocery tax has been a popular topic among state legislators in recent years. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem even campaigned on the promise to repeal it. Critics have said proposing a tax cut without a way to finance it is irresponsible.

Weiland pointed out Gov. Noem had a formula spelled out when she brought forward her bill in 2023, which was voted down.

"She had no problem defending her position in front of the Legislature, in terms of how much revenue the state was going to lose and where they could make it up," Weiland recounted.

The initiative needs about 17,500 signatures by next month to appear on the November ballot.