skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Day two of David Pecker testimony wraps in NY Trump trial; Supreme Court hears arguments on Idaho's near-total abortion ban; ND sees a flurry of campaigning among Native candidates; and NH lags behind other states in restricting firearms at polling sites.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Senate moves forward with a foreign aid package. A North Carolina judge overturns an aged law penalizing released felons. And child protection groups call a Texas immigration policy traumatic for kids.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Wyoming needs more educators who can teach kids trade skills, a proposal to open 40-thousand acres of an Ohio forest to fracking has environmental advocates alarmed and rural communities lure bicyclists with state-of-the-art bike trail systems.

Missourians, Food Banks Face Inflation, Supply-Chain Issues

play audio
Play

Monday, January 3, 2022   

Supply-chain issues, inflation and job loss during the pandemic have put many families' food security
at risk.

In Missouri, hunger remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. Recent census surveys show 8% of households in the state are considered food insecure, and it jumps to ten % for households with children.

Katie Adkins, director of communication and marketing at the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, said it has been important for food-support networks to stay flexible and adaptable.

"We did see an increase in people who were using food bank services for the first time throughout the pandemic," Adkins observed. "There were a lot of people who might have only needed help once, but we did see new folks or different folks coming in to get help from our partner agencies."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, food prices overall have increased 6.8% since November 2020. Prices for meat, poultry, fish and eggs have risen more than 12%, and they're up 4% for fresh produce.

Adkins noted the Food Bank worked to find ways to get the most help to the communities in need, from "buddy packs" and school pantry programs for children, to "veterans packs" and food boxes for seniors.

"Especially during a pandemic, when seniors may be concerned about going to the grocery store, we were able to adapt in a way that helps those seniors get their boxes," Adkins recounted. "So they could feel safe during the pandemic and not expose themselves to COVID."

She added the Food Bank also launched more mobile pantries, and has programs to help people enroll in the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which has seen an increase of seven million people receiving benefits between 2019 and 2021.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Creedon Newell practices teaching construction skills in Wyoming's new career and technical educator bridge course, designed to encourage trades students and professionals to pursue a career in CTE teaching. (Photo by Rob Hill)

Social Issues

play sound

By Lane Wendell Fischer for the Shasta Scout via The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service for the Public News …


Environment

play sound

By Naoki Nitta for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public Ne…

Social Issues

play sound

Concerns about potential voter intimidation have spurred several states to consider banning firearms at polling sites but so far, New Hampshire is …


Though Connecticut's benefits cliff persists, there are other programs helping people maintain benefits of some kind when their income pushes them over the limit. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Today, groups working with lower-income families in Connecticut are raising awareness about the state's "benefits cliff" with a day of action…

Social Issues

play sound

Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick has released 57 "interim charges," the topics he wants Senate committees to study in preparation for the 89th …

It is estimated the Wild Springs Solar Project in New Underwood, South Dakota, will offset 190,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

The construction of more solar farms in the U.S. has been contentious but a new survey shows their size makes a difference in whether solar projects …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota's largest school district is at the center of a budget controversy tied to the recent wave of school board candidates fighting diversity pro…

play sound

Minnesota lawmakers are considering a measure which would force employers to properly classify certain trade union workers and others as employees rat…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021