Food insecurity is on the rise, and ignoring it won’t make it go away. In states like Iowa, hunger is growing in each of the 99 counties. It’s an invisible issue to many, but your neighbors could be silently struggling to find the resources to take care of their next meal. This month is Hunger Action Month, so there’s no better time to help out those neighbors and bring awareness to the issue. Annette Hacker, chief communications and strategy officer at the Food Bank of Iowa, said food insecurity impacts every community, even if you can’t see it.
“Well, Hunger Action month, it’s a national effort, as you pointed out, and it really is a time to raise awareness and inspire action and help folks to realize that it takes many hands to make sure every person facing hunger gets the food they need. And wherever we are, we can do our part by volunteering and donating and advocating for our neighbors facing hunger. I think, if nothing else, people can stop and realize that food insecurity affects every community and every neighborhood, every county in this entire country, including right here in Iowa, and sometimes it’s kind of an invisible problem, and more people need to know it’s a very real problem. And we can, we can do a lot. We can all do our part to fight hunger.”
Hacker said there are opportunities across every state for volunteers to make an impact in their community…