Food Insecurity

According to a new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, more than 150,000 Arkansans are estimated to be newly food insecure since the COVID-19 pandemic began and state policies are making it more difficult for families to access nutritional support from programs like SNAP during the crisis.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is partnering with UpliftArkansas.com to assist Arkansans facing food insecurity with a new COVID-19 Food Access Map. The interactive map allows users to search for organizations distributing food including food pantries, school districts and farms.

Blake Lasater, the pastor of United Methodist Church in Eureka Springs, along with a team of dedicated church and local volunteers are delivering meals and groceries to hundreds of Western Carroll County residents shut in due to the coronavirus pandemic. The mission has been named Answering the Call.

Officials with the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and Feed Communities announced the consolidation of their operations last September. The nonprofits recently had their first combined board meeting and representatives from the organizations say the merger will help them better address food insecurity in the region.

In 2019, the Urban Institute spent time in the River Valley to try to understand the causes of food insecurity in the region. The organization found one in four children and nearly one in five adults in Sebastian County are food insecure. UI Senior Fellow Elaine Waxman discusses five strategies that could improve people's access to food.