Food insecurity continues to climb across Kentucky’s Heartland, according to the latest Map the Meal Gap data from Feeding America.
In 2023, more than 188,000 people in Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland’s 42-county service region were food insecure—an increase of nearly 12,000 from the previous year.
Food insecurity, defined as the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, remains a significant challenge with wide-ranging health and social impacts.
FAKH leaders said the annual report is vital in identifying areas of greatest need and in helping the organization strategically direct resources across its service area.
Christian County saw some of the most concerning numbers. Nearly one in six residents, or 13,030 people, lack adequate food, a rate more than three percentage points higher than the national average. Child food insecurity is even higher, affecting more than one in four children—about 5,300 in total.
Across the 42-county region, food insecurity ranged from 13.4 percent in Nelson County to 23.6 percent in Cumberland County. Warren and Hardin counties ranked among the top five in Kentucky for the highest number of food-insecure residents, while Fulton County recorded the state’s highest child food insecurity rate at 36.1 percent.
Despite funding and resource challenges, FAKH and its partners continue efforts to meet the need. In Christian County last year, the organization invested more than $2 million and distributed nearly 1.3 million pounds of food through 13 local agencies.
The Aaron McNeil House in Hopkinsville, one of FAKH’s key partners, provides food, housing and utility assistance. Leaders there noted that support from FAKH is essential to sustaining community services and reaching families in crisis.
In September, FAKH will join food banks nationwide for Hunger Action Month, a campaign to raise awareness about hunger. Hunger Action Day will be marked on Tuesday, Sept. 9, when supporters are encouraged to wear orange, the official color of hunger relief.
For more information, visit feedingamericaky.org.
