This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Listen Live
Donate
MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

Sept. 22, 2023 |  By: Deborah Van Fleet - Public News Service

Hunger Action Month finds NE food bank in "crisis mode"

food bank

By Deborah Van Fleet - Public News Service

It is Hunger Action Month, and a Nebraska organization fighting hunger said action is badly needed, at both the national and state levels.

In a June U.S. Census survey, the number of households reporting not having enough food was up more than 4% from the previous month, and 12% from the previous year.

Stephanie Sullivan, assistant director of marketing and communications at the Food Bank for the Heartland, said they expect to serve 600,000 households in the next year, which will be the most in the organization's 40-plus-year history.

She pointed out beginning with the 2019 floods, followed by the pandemic and inflation, the Food Bank has been operating in "crisis mode."

"Inflation was something that none of us expected," Sullivan explained. "And it was truly a double-edged sword, because not only were we dealing with the effects of inflation -- supply chain issues, paying more to get less -- but our neighbors in need were also experiencing it at the same time."

She noted they are also receiving considerably less food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which, at the height of the pandemic, provided 25% of their commodities. This year, it is down to 10%.

Sullivan suggested people can help by hosting a food drive, signing up to volunteer or making a monetary donation. This month, up to $70,000 in donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar, and Food Bank for the Heartland hopes to raise enough to fund 1.5 million meals.

Sullivan said during the pandemic, the Food Bank received American Rescue Plan Act funds, which have since expired. At the same time, many families received expanded Child Tax Credits, which also have expired.

"We are now getting less resources, yet more mouths than ever to feed, so it has created a huge gap that has been impossible for Food Bank for the Heartland to fill," Sullivan stressed. "That is why support is more critical than ever."

Food Bank for the Heartland serves 93 counties, including 77 in Nebraska and 16 in western Iowa. Across their service area, the group estimates one in 11 people is facing hunger, and one in nine is a child.