<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0iBrCW_1H52DrZG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0iBrCW_1H52DrZG00" width="996" height="500" ></figure>Food insecurity never takes a holiday. As Thanksgiving and Christmas draw closer, the holidays bring added pressure for some families to choose between a typical celebration and a diluted version because of rising grocery costs.In some cases, that could mean no celebration.Also with Christmas, families feel the added stress of providing gifts for their children, or being forced to make the choice of paying the rent and keeping the lights on.“The spike we’ve seen (in the need for food) is really because of economical pressures,” said Charles Dennis, executive director of Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland. “So, really what we’ve seen is an increase, and then a steady maintain of that level in terms of need and neighbors seeking assistance.”Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland is a regional food bank that gathers and distributes food in 42 Kentucky counties — 16,000 square miles — to feed neighbors through local partnerships. In Hardin County, 31 agency partners help reach people experiencing food insecurity.According to data provided by Map the Meal Gap 2026, overall food insecurity in the U.S. is at 14.4%, and children experiencing food insecurity are at 19.5% in America.In Kentucky, those numbers are higher: 18.2% overall food insecurity and 25.3% of children are going hungry.The overall percentage of Hardin Countians experiencing food insecurity is a little less than the state level, at 17.7%, but the number is higher still for children who experience food insecurity, at 26.5%. Many of these children are only receiving a good meal while at school.Dennis said an agency reached out, telling him they were seeing twice as many people.“I believe it. I go to the grocery store, I fill up with gas,” the executive director said. “We’re (FAKH) at 38% over budget in fuel because of cost.”During this time of year, the agency tries to do additional buys and holiday boxes for partner pantries.The holidays “is a time about family, a time about community and I want people to enjoy that,” Dennis said. “This isn’t a guilt trip. I want families to relish those times.”A big way people can assist is through monetary donations. For every dollar that is donated, FAKH is able to provide eight meals. According to Dennis, 98 cents of every dollar goes to the organization’s mission.Beyond the rising cost of living, an adult in a family may be experiencing a health crisis, which often can make getting by more difficult.A comment Dennis heard once about food insecurity, which has stuck with him was, “Everything is fine as long as there’s enough money.”It is an issue of simple math, according to the FAKH executive director: This amount comes in, and then utilities, gas, rent and medicine have to come out of that.“The last one to think about is usually food,” Dennis said.“Balancing tough choices is something that our neighbors see every day,” said Manda Barger, FAKH marketing and communications manager. “Providing that support through our network alleviates that a little bit.”Over the past few years, Dennis has seen examples and has seen people who reach a difficult, life-changing experience with food insecurity, but he said they find a way and are resilient in the situation.“We are such a small component of helping them. We’re not saviors. We’re not here to save the world — we just offer that helping hand to get them back on their feet,” Dennis said.While visiting a local business, one of the employees noticed the logo on Dennis’ shirt and walked up to let him know the organization does great work. The individual needed FAKH at one time, but said everything is better now thanks to their assistance.In the 2026 fiscal year, FAKH has distributed 1,673,857 pounds of food and provided 1.4 million meals in Hardin County.“There are a lot of fantastic people in this world that are just going through tough times, and you know what? They’re resilient, and they get through,” Dennis said.Continuous communication with retail partners, food drives and donations are picking up, so the community, according to Barger, is providing additional support.Just down the road on Peterson Drive is the FAKH volunteer center where 8,000 senior boxes are packed and sent out monthly.While the organization already has a tremendous volunteer base, there is always room for more. Beyond monetary donations and volunteering, both Dennis and Barger say that contributions from food drives are beneficial in helping address food insecurities.</div></body>

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Food insecurity never takes a holiday. As Thanksgiving and Christmas draw closer, the holidays bring added pressure for some families to choose between a typical celebration and a diluted version because of rising grocery costs. In some cases, that could mean no celebration. Also with Christmas, families feel the added...

Food insecurity knows no holiday

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Food insecurity never takes a holiday. As Thanksgiving and Christmas draw closer, the holidays bring added pressure for some families to choose between a t

Food insecurity knows no holiday

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