Faith leaders sound the alarm as food insecurity rises across Kentucky – Spectrum News

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Faith leaders from around Kentucky sound the alarm saying food insecurity is rising.
Food insecurity affects one in seven adults and one in five children in Kentucky and Indiana, reports Dare to Care Food Bank. This represents a growth exceeding 48% in only the last two years. Alexus Richardson, with Dare To Care, said the increase is because of COVID-19 pandemic safety net programs ending.
“During COVID, we had things like expanded child credits. We had tax credits for parents. So that was a resource for parents. We also had expanded SNAP benefits, so food stamps. There were expanded food stamps that have now ended. Since these safety net programs have ended, we’ve also seen inflation. So, people are having less resources and paying more at the grocery stores, at the gas station,” Richardson explained.
According to the annual Map the Meal Gap study from Feeding America, 753,410 people were food insecure in Kentucky in 2023.
Pastor Shane Schlatter runs Exodus Family Ministries in Louisville. They have a food pantry, a community clothes closet and they run a day shelter in the city. He said need is growing.
Schlatter said, “It has gotten pretty outrageous how many people are struggling out there. We’ve seen our numbers just continue to go up. We launched our food pantry in 2021 and year-over-year, we’ve seen an increase. The most dramatic increase has been the last year. We went from serving roughly 1,000 people a month last year, to this year we’re over 2,000.”
Pastor Schlatter joined several faith leaders at the Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville Wednesday for a public call to action.
Dare to Care CEO and President Vincent James said, “We need people to join this fight, to join this cause to be able to ensure that no one, no one in our city, in our state, and in our country will go without food.”
Archbishop Shelton Fabre of the Archdiocese of Louisville said, “It is my delight to be here to raise my voice along with others to plead that basic services, basic needs of people such as food and other assistance continue to be provided.”
Imam Almoutem of the Muslim Community Center of Louisville said, “Feeding people or poor people is deeply virtuous, rooted in compassion and justice and human dignity.”
Dare to Care said there are ways people across Kentucky can help right now.
“You can obviously volunteer with Dare to Care. Our volunteers make a really big impact for us and help us get the food out. You can always donate at daretocare.org/donate. Then, you can contact your legislators,” Richardson explained.
Richardson said people can ask Congress to prioritize food banks. Feeding America has a special form to get the message to congressional leaders on its website.

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