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.

Innovation Lab Aims to Spur Creative Solutions to End Child Hunger

play audio
Play

Monday, September 19, 2022   

A new initiative is providing funding to individuals and grassroots groups across the Commonwealth with creative solutions to reduce hunger among rural children.

The Rural Child Hunger Research and Innovation Lab launched today by Save the Children said it aims to help communities design and test out their ideas.

Alyssa Taylor, Kentucky state director for Save the Children, said recent natural disasters, including the floods in eastern Kentucky, have spurred crowdsourcing and voucher programs to keep families fed and supply businesses with customers amid recovery efforts.

"So we saw a local grocery store in Letcher County was completely destroyed," Taylor recounted. "The community rallied around them to help them get back on their feet."

Taylor hopes the resiliency of Kentuckians can be cultivated into scalable models to help ensure kids in the state always have their most basic needs met.

Tamara Sandberg, senior adviser for food security at Save the Children, said the lessons learned during the pandemic increased flexibility for federally funded food programs across the country. She hopes the lab will allow communities to continue problem-solving to ensure more Kentucky kids are fed.

"The idea of the Rural Child hunger Research and Innovation Lab is to lift up ideas from within rural communities, provide them with the support to incubate their ideas, and then funding and technical assistance to try out their ideas," Sandberg outlined.

Taylor added the geographic isolation of many Kentucky counties poses logistical challenges in accessing fruits and vegetables other states may not face.

"In areas where it's already difficult to afford the rising cost of groceries, adding on those transportation costs to get them to these rural areas is really difficult," Taylor explained.

Research shows persistent food insecurity leads to poorer health, less exercise, and lower grades among rural adolescents.

Disclosure: Save the Children contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Early Childhood Education, Education, and Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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