Going the Extra Mile

Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Grateful Bread Food Pantry brought together staff, volunteers, community members, and Rockcastle County Schools to bring awareness to hunger-related issues in Appalachia at its 5th Annual Hunger Walk on September 14. This year, more than 600 walkers participated and the pantry collected 1,267.5 pounds of food, which will provide 25 families with supplemental food for a month.

“Our community is not immune from hunger issues,” explains Carolyn Lindsey, manager of the Grateful Bread Food Pantry. “In Rockcastle County last month, we served 921 families. That is 1,748 adults and children in our community who needed help.”

In fact, hunger and food insecurity issues exist in every community in the United States. More than 48 million Americans lived in food insecure households in 2014. That means that 15.3 million children under the age of 18 in the United States live in households where they are unable to consistently access enough nutritious food to maintain a healthy life. Families in Kentucky face a disproportionately high rate of food insecurity in comparison to the rest of the country.

“I know that many of us here today are blessed to have access to food around the clock. However, that is not the case for all people living in Eastern Kentucky,” says Kerrigan Medley, a student at Rockcastle County Middle School, who addressed the crowd. “These are more than just numbers. They are the kids with whom we go to school, the people we see at church, our neighbors. These are people in our community who we see every day.”

The food insecurity rate in CAP’s service region is 19.7%, which means that many children and individuals live in households where they are not guaranteed their next meal. This food insecurity rate is 4.3% higher than the national average.

While the annual Hunger Walk aims to highlight the continued need for hunger aid in the region, CAP is concentrating as many resources as possible toward the cause. In addition to the work of Grateful Bread Food Pantry, the organization participates in the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program, fills backpacks with food each week for hungry children, and provides emergency food assistance to families in need. In the coming years, CAP aims to expand its hunger initiatives throughout the region by opening and/or partnering in six additional food pantries. This will require more resources and increased funds to underwrite the growth, but the need is critical and demands immediate action.

“There is still a need within our community to help those who are hungry,” Medley says. “So whether you’re the founder of an organization feeding thousands each day or you go donate a box of spaghetti to a local pantry, you’re feeding someone who is hungry. That is my request to you – feed someone who is hungry.”