Why does Arkansas make it hard for some families to get food?
Arkansas is one of only nine states that have the most restrictive asset limit possible under federal law.
Eliminating Needed Access to Food Programs This Summer Hurts Kids
All children and families, regardless of race, ethnicity, or where they live, deserve access to high-quality affordable foods. Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, families in poverty and on the edge of poverty were hit hardest by hunger. It...
Schools key to ensuring many children get the nutritious meals they need to thrive
Kasey Porchia comes from a family of educators. Her mother, father, and aunts were teachers, coaches, and paraprofessionals who had a profound effect on why she chose education as her profession. They instilled in her a strong work ethic and...
Seniors are Among Most Vulnerable for Food Insecurity
Linda is 72 years old. She doesn’t work anymore, and she takes care of her 54-year-old son who lives with her and is fully disabled. He has special dietary needs and needs around-the-clock care. Even before the pandemic, money...
WIC is a lifeline, and improving the program would benefit many
Mary’s oldest daughter loves to hike, so they travel Arkansas together, hiking on different paths around the state. They then return home to Crossett, where Mary and her two daughters, ages 6 and 1, live. Mary heard about the...
Pandemic Highlights Glaring Issues with Food Assistance Programs
Tomiko Townley currently serves as the Advocacy Director for the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. The Alliance is a collaborative organization that works on behalf of and with Arkansans facing hunger. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Tomiko was working as...
How the City of Little Rock Met a Hunger Crisis Head On During the Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the City of Little Rock realized that an immediate need would be food for hungry children who would normally receive meals at school. Many agencies mobilized to ensure that children wouldn’t miss meals because...
Policy hurdles keep Marshallese in Arkansas from accessing hunger-fighting programs
As hunger increased across Arkansas during the pandemic, one population was blocked from participating in a vital safety-net program intended to keep nutritious food on the table during tough times. Arkansans who were born in the Marshall Islands aren’t...
Lessons Learned from the Pandemic: Implementing Systems Change Can End Child Hunger
We were not prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic to hit and shut down most of the country in March 2020. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event that we are still trying to make our way through. We didn’t have the...
WIC provides food security for new mom of twins during pandemic
Anna, who hopes to become a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse, grew up in El Dorado and still calls it home with her husband and two daughters, Magnolia and Violet. When Anna and her husband were first married,...
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