The Kentucky Hunger Initiative is distributing more than 150 donated freezers to food banks across the commonwealth.
Deliveries began this week in east Kentucky and will be spread out over the next two months. At least one food bank in each county in the commonwealth will receive a freezer in an effort to curb food spoilage.
Kentucky Department of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said the state can increase efficiency at food banks if it reduces food waste and spoilage. He said a pantry volunteer told him that they had to refuse a donation of meat because they didn’t have a place to store it.
A lot of the food donated to pantries spoils before it can be passed out.
“These freezers help increase the capacity for food donation of protein and meats and also reduce spoilage at our food pantries,” Quarles said.
Quarles said the percentage of people who are food insecure in west Kentucky falls above the statewide average at 16 percent. Food insecurity is more than 20 percent among children in the region.
Farm Credit Mid-America and CoBank donated the freezers.
