A new study from the Kentucky Association of Food Banks shows one in seven Kentuckians, or more than 600,000 people, receives emergency food assistance each year.
Association director Tamara Sandberg says state government has more than a million dollars set aside to purchase unsold produce for those who are food insecure. Sandberg says more than three million pounds of Kentucky grown produce has been distributed this year.
"I think, if we had the funding for it we could easily double that and we could have six million pounds of Kentucky grown produce distributed in the 2015 growing season," Sandberg said.
Sandberg says her group will not ask state lawmakers for additional resources in the coming year. She believes the answer to helping hungry Kentuckians is to pair government funds with private and charitable donations.
She says a change in methodology prevents a direct comparison to results from the previous study completed four years ago. But Sandberg says, organizations serving hungry Kentuckians do report a growing need.
"More than half of the charities that were included in this survey reported an increase in the volume of clients over the previous year,” Sandberg said. “So food banks are working hard. We're distributing a lot of food and we're still not able to meet all the needs of the people who come to food banks for help."
She says a hunger-free Kentucky is possible, but research confirms food banks can't do it alone.
"We believe that together we can solve hunger in Kentucky, but it's gonna require all of us to come together and do our part from policy makers, to business owners, to farmers, to charities," Sandberg said.
