A Feeding America study has shown increases in food insecurity in Clinton County, and Food Finders Food Bank Mobile Pantry Outreach
continues to address the issue within the county.
According to the study, the increase in cost for food and groceries has appeared to impact people facing hunger who reported in the study that they require more money now to afford enough food for themselves and their family than at any other point in the last 20 years, which the Feeding America annual Map the Meal Gap study supported.
The study shows that over 84,000 people within the 16-county service area that Food Finders covers with their Mobile Food Pantry Outreach are food insecure, which includes Clinton County residents.
Map the Meal Gap provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district as it builds upon the United States Drug Administration’s latest report of national state data, which showed that a sharp increase in food insecurity was experienced in 2022 amidst historically high food prices and the cancellation of numerous pandemic-era programs that strived to provide food and resources to families that may be in need of additional assistance.
The Map the Meal Gap study emphasized the need for the communities and programs, such as Food Finders, to take action to help those in need, and President and CEO of Food Finders Kier Crites Muller echoed the urgency of the action.
“The insights from this year’s study confirm what we hear from people facing hunger: elevated living expenses, especially food prices, are worsening hunger in America,” Crites Muller said. “Food insecurity is much too complex for any one individual to tackle. It does not exist in a vacuum. People who face challenges accessing enough food also face challenges affording adequate housing, healthcare, transportation and other basic needs.”
The Map the Meal Gap study reported that 12.5%, which equates to 1 in 8, Clinton County community members are experiencing food insecurity, which includes the 14.2% or 1 in 7 children that are experiencing food insecurity within the county. Crites Muller issued a call to action after reviewing the statistics of the 16-county coverage of the Food Finders Food Bank.
“When we listen to people facing hunger and understand how hunger shows up locally, we can better invest in our communities, drive policy change and more to end hunger across North Central Indiana and across the nation,” Crites Miller said. “Together, we can unite to create a future where we all have access to the food and resources we need to thrive.”
The Food Finders Food Bank will host two Mobile Pantry Outreach events in Clinton County in June. The first pantry location will be held at Riggs Community Health Center at 2121 S. Gopher Dr. in Frankfort on June 12 at 11 a.m. The second pantry location will be held at First Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Frankfort at 352 W. Clinton St. in Frankfort on June 25 at 11 a.m.
For more information and locations of future Mobile Pantry Outreach programs in Clinton County and beyond, visit food-finders.org.