Even though the national rate of food insecurity is dropping, Arkansas still has the second highest rate of hunger in the country. Statistics from the annual Map the Meal Gap report from Feeding America, a national network of food banks, shows that more than 17 percent of Arkansas households do not have access to enough food. The rate is even higher – almost 24 percent – for Arkansas children, according to the report. Kathy Webb with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance says the government’s economic policies are not reaching the people who need it the most.
The report shows that more than 500-thousand Arkansans struggle to get enough to eat, and of that total, one in four is a child. The report ranks Arkansas behind New Mexico for the highest rate of hunger. Webb says food insecurity is defined as a lack of access to enough food for a healthy life and limited or uncertain availability of nutritional foods.