KNOX CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — In 2023, Feeding America reported that 14 million children faced hunger across the country and more than 200,000 across Kentucky.
LEX 18's Kayleigh Randle traveled down to Knox County, one of the most food insecure counties in that state, to learn what they're doing to help.
As grocery shoppers scramble into stores to grab last-minute ingredient items to perfect their Thanksgiving dinner. Hundreds of other Kentuckians are trying to figure out when their next meal will be.
In 2022, across Kentucky, Feeding America reported the top three counties with the highest food insecurity population among children.
- Christian County: 5,270 children
- Pike County: 3,300 children
- Knox County: 2,200 children
"We have a high amount of clients that are not eligible for food stamps or EBT's, snap benefits due to no address. There's just things in the system that disqualifies them, there's multiple reasons so they don't have that extra money to buy that food," explains Beverly Isom, who is with the Kentucky Communities Economic Opportunity Council Community Action Partnership [KCEOC]. The organization has been around for almost 60 years and will celebrate that milestone in two weeks.
"The reason why I think it's so important is because I've been in their seat," Isom admits, "I was a teen mom at very, very young and I've been in that seat of poverty and I know what that feels like so that's why I show up everyday to give back because I've been there. I came into this agency for that same assistance."
It's a big reason Isom joined KCEOC in the first place and believes giving back to those in need is so important.
KCEOC Community Action Partnership is finishing up its annual food drive on Wednesday, Nov. 27. These are a list of locations where you can donate:
- West Knox Pharmacy in Corbin
- Elysian Med Spa in London
- All KCEOC locations
Knox County isn't the only location helping out, though; Pike County is offering a major helping hand to thousands of its and surrounding community members.
According to Larry Miller, the Appalachian Wireless Arena general manager, thousands of people and several churches have come together over the years to provide a warm meal for those in need. "We do know times are hard in Eastern Kentucky right now with the mines closed and that took a huge gap in all of the financial's here. All of the families were touched."
Miller says that when he first started offering the meals, only 500 were being given away. Now, the arena offers 2,000 meals to community members in the lobby and 12,000 meals to people throughout the county. It also offers meals to those in Floyd and Letcher counties as well.
Those meals will be offered at the Appalachian Wireless Arena on Thanksgiving Day. Anyone who is not on the list can still stop by or contact them ahead of time.
"I'm a military guy and I've never seen a community come together more than in this community. It's a blessing in itself just the selflessness that goes into that day," explains Miller. "All of the people, either they put their Thanksgiving toward the end of the day and go eat with their families or this is their Thanksgiving."
Miller says the Dream Center in Pike County is also accepting donations throughout the rest of the year.
"I would ask you not to be ashamed to come to our food pantry's and food banks and get that food because somebody has been there and you're not going to be looked down on," said Isom.
