Kentucky Association of Food Banks Inc

Bill* came into his community food pantry needing help feeding his disabled wife and the two grandchildren they are raising. He had worked hard his whole life and had been a volunteer at his church soup kitchen, and now he needed help putting food on the table.

How can it be that 1 in 6 Kentuckians don’t always know where their next meal will come from? How is it that an astounding 1 in 4 of our children lack consistent access to enough food necessary for a healthy, active lifestyle? Or that 67% of food bank clients report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities?

It goes against American values—against Kentucky values—to let our most vulnerable neighbors go hungry. But there are other reasons why it’s in the Commonwealth’s best interest to be sure all its citizens have enough food to eat. Hungry students can’t learn as well as their peers with full bellies. Hungry workers have a tougher time doing their jobs effectively. Food insecurity and poor nutrition reduce health and educational outcomes, decrease workforce productivity, and increase education and health care costs.  Ignoring hunger now will result in increased expenses for the Commonwealth down the road.

In response, the members of the Kentucky Association of Food Banks distributed 52 million meals last year. In partnership with a network of more than 800 local charitable feeding agencies such as soup kitchens and shelters, we feed an estimated 1 in 7 Kentuckians in all 120 counties each year. 

Yet as demand for emergency food has increased, our supply of food available for distribution has decreased. We rely on charitable donations from caring individuals to help meet the need for food assistance among our struggling neighbors.

Our vision is a hunger-free Kentucky, and we know that seeing this vision become reality will require both responding to people’s immediate need for sustenance and advancing long-term solutions to hunger. Therefore, KAFB works to prevent and alleviate hunger through the following
strategies.

• Increasing the quality, variety and nutritional value of food available to feed hungry people in Kentucky. Through our Farms to Food Banks program, KAFB procures unmarketable surplus and Number 2-grade produce for distribution to struggling Kentuckians through the food bank network. 
• Advocating for food security through sound public policy and legislative solutions to hunger. An example of past success is the enactment of a law in 2013 which establishes a state income tax credit for farmers who donate edible agricultural products to food banks.
• Mobilizing the public to join the fight to end hunger by increasing awareness of the causes and solutions to hunger. 
• Building alliances and partnerships that impact hunger relief.  We have established strong alliances with the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky, state legislators, and farm advocacy groups such as the Community Farm Alliance.  Representatives from each of these groups serve on our advisory committee.

 

While we are so grateful for the the many volunteers who organize or participate in food drives, the truth is that monetary contributions benefit food banks the most. We can leverage donations to maximum effect by using our buying power to purchase in bulk the items that are most needed. In other words, a donation of $1.00 can be multiplied into much more food than a donated can of food worth $1.00. We invite you to join us in the fight against hunger in Kentucky!

 

*not his real name.