By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
On May 14, Feeding America — “the largest charity working to end hunger in the United States” — released its annual Map the Meal Gap report, which “provide[s] estimates of local food insecurity and food costs,” that showed Barren County’s food insecurity increased from 2021 to 2022.
The nonprofit has been putting out this report every year since 2011 with the aim to “improve [Feeding America’s] understanding of people and places facing hunger and inform decisions that will help ensure equitable access to nutritious food for all.” The interactive map not only shows food insecurity across all of Kentucky, but also provides a county specific report.
It is in this county-specific breakdown that shows that Barren County in 2022 had a “food insecure population” of 8,120 individuals, with a “food insecurity rate” of 18.2 percent, compared to 2021 that had a population of 7,150 and its insecurity rate of 16.1 percent. The report also displays an average meal cost for the county, which in 2022 was $3.39 compared to $3.10 average in 2021.
In 2021 the “annual food budget shortfall” was roughly $3.92 million with 2022 shortfall coming in at $5.18 million.
To help offset this growing insecurity Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland distributes food at the Cave Area Conference Center. Many times people are beginning to line up for the distribution at 6 a.m., an employee with the center said. The dates for the distribution for the rest of 2024 are: June 20, July 18, Aug. 22, Sept. 19, Oct. 24, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. According to the Kentucky’s Heartland website roughly 19.6 million pounds of food are distributed annually across the nonprofit’s 42 county region.
More locally, BC Reads and Feeds, the non-profit arm of the Barren County School District, also distributes meals designed to “provide food bags for students, and their families, who classify as food insecure.”
Cave City Can, “a food pantry servicing the community by providing free groceries,” reports that last November the pantry prepared roughly 800 meals; 600 of which were delivered to families in need. With Cave City Can not yet receiving the federal non-profit status true numbers are hard to obtain, however Becky Haysley with Cave City Can said last year they had given out approximately 4,000 meals both to elderly individuals and “young families.”
“Awareness [of the food insecurity issue] is the key,” Haysley wrote. “We can make lots of meals out of any size donation.”
The gap report also shows that food insecurity is increasing in most of Kentucky’s 120 counties with most transitioning to the next higher insecurity bracket. For example, in 2021 Warren County had a food insecurity rate of 11.6 percent and a budget shortfall of roughly $9.5 million compared to the county’s 2022 figures of 14.8 percent and $14.76 million. However, looking at the data through a congressional-district lens Barren County, which is in Kentucky District 2 has a rate of 12.5 percent.
The highest food insecurity rates are found in eastern Kentucky.
To view the full ten-page report that further breaks down food insecurity with regards to race, ethnicity and age click here.
