1 in 5 Kentucky kids faces hunger. Congress is considering a plan that would make it worse.

Yahoo

22-05-2025

When children don't have consistent access to meals, it impacts their development, their education and their future. (Stock photo by Inti St. Clair/Getty Photos)
In Kentucky more than 753,000 residents, or 1 in 6, face hunger. They often don't know where and when their next meal will be.
That sobering statistic is felt daily across the commonwealth — from families forced to choose between groceries and rent to schools struggling to meet students' basic needs.
Food banks and our partners across the state are doing all we can to provide millions of meals annually and coordinate critical emergency support — but we can't do it alone, and we certainly can't do it with policy that sends us backward.
But that's just what's happening, and hungry Kentuckians will pay the price.
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture has proposed a plan that would quietly shift the burden and worsen the problem. If passed, the Kentucky budget would be responsible for funding over $150 million annually by 2028 just to maintain current benefit levels. With food insecurity projected to rise, that cost will likely increase even more.
We're sure federal and state governments will jostle for who is to blame, but the bottom line is simple: Fewer Kentuckians will be able to eat. And that's why we're pushing back.
The proposal under consideration would throw the entire SNAP system off, and there's no solution being offered. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) works because it can scale up quickly when people are struggling, like after a natural disaster, such as recent tornadoes. States just don't have the resources to handle that kind of surge.
Keeping SNAP federally funded is the only way to ensure it's there when people really need it.
Charitable food assistance steps in where other support falls short, but it's not enough. For every meal provided by the charitable food system, SNAP delivers nine. That ratio matters. Reducing access to SNAP won't just stretch food banks thinner, it will stretch family budgets to the breaking point.
Hunger is not just about food; it's about health, learning and opportunity. When children don't have consistent access to meals, it impacts their development, their education and their future. In Kentucky, 1 in 5 kids faces hunger. When adults don't have food, they can't be expected to perform their best at their job. The consequences ripple far beyond the dinner table.
We already know what works. The community eligibility provision helps high-poverty schools serve free meals to all students. Summer EBT provides grocery assistance when school is out. SNAP helps families put food on the table every night. These aren't luxuries — they're lifelines. And they're part of our shared responsibility to ensure no Kentuckian goes hungry.
Kentucky's food banks are committed to doing our part. But systemic hunger cannot be solved through charity alone. We need policies that protect families and uphold the principle that access to food is a basic human right.
Anyone can experience hunger. A job loss, medical emergency or child-care crisis can leave a family facing food insecurity. These programs offer dignity, consistency and hope when it matters most. And no matter our political beliefs, we should agree on this: No legislation should determine who gets to eat and who doesn't.
Congress can act to protect and strengthen the nutrition programs that keep families afloat and give children a fair shot. We can work together to build a future where no one in Kentucky goes hungry.
Melissa McDonald is executive director of Feeding Kentucky, a statewide network of seven Kentucky food banks and their partners.