As executive director of Woodland Action service organization, I can shed light on hunger in rural communities. Rural hunger is a result of 17 percent of the population living below the federal poverty line; my community is at 23.4 percent. The usage of food banks has increased over the past year.
In April, my local food bank experienced an 8.4 percent increase in children served, totaling 455 from the ages of 3 to 18. Food pantries were designed to meet the temporary and acute needs of the people, but instead they have become a long-term strategy to supplement monthly shortfalls. The rise in need reflects the Washington state statistic that 1 in 5 Washingtonians rely upon their local food bank for their next meal. Woodland Action food bank logged 11,474 household visits in 2015 and they have been struggling to keep up with the need.
As the political atmosphere heats up, everyone is talking about foreign policy, the economy, gun control, immigration, health care, war on drugs, climate change, etc. No one is talking about the 1 in 5 children who live in food insecure homes in the United States, and in our communities. To solve hunger, it needs to be a priority for everyone.
