Monday Munchies: Mealtime pivot
We review a lot of fancy (and not so fancy) meals on Mondays, but I'm taking a break to remember that some of our neighbors don't have enough to eat.
The big picture: One recent USDA report pegged Arkansas' average food insecurity rate at 18.9% during 2021-2023, the highest in the nation. That's nearly one out of every five people.
Food prices will likely continue to climb in the foreseeable future and proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could exacerbate the issue, experts say.
By the numbers: NWA generally performs better than the rest of the state on this metric, but the food insecurity rate in Benton County was still 13.5% in 2022, according to Feeding America. It was 17% in Washington County.
Driving the news: I was reminded that Arvest's annual Million Meals kicks off this week, the bank's largest visible corporate philanthropic effort.
Charities and food banks get a lot of attention during the Holidays, but often are overlooked the rest of the year.
The good news: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently signed a law guaranteeing breakfast to all students regardless of their families' income starting this fall.
Between the lines: That was the education part. If you made it this far, here's a call to action:
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