Golden Harvest report shows hunger and food insecurity on the rise

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A new report from Golden Harvest Food Bank shows hunger is on the rise.

In Richmond County, one in five people is food insecure, including one in four children.

Hancock County is the highest, with one in two children facing hunger.

One year ago, the number was one in seven people and one in four children hungry in their service area.

Now, it’s at one in six people.

The report shows this year is the highest national hunger levels in more than a decade due to rising food costs and Hurricane Helene.

“Everybody was food insecure when the hurricane hit. Nobody knew where their next meal was coming from, so if you add that to the already rising costs of food, already rising costs of bills across the board. Inflation hit us really hard, we are seeing it’s like the perfect storm,” Priscilla Elliot, public affairs specialist, Golden Harvest Food Bank.

They have a backpack program for children during the school year and a program in the summer for children to get food.

“We are packing about 12,000 of these summer harvest food program boxes. They include easy-to-open, easy-to-cook meals for students, easy-to-cook meals for parents. Alongside them, we are handing out fresh produce as well,” said Elliot.

We’re seeing a lot more people visiting our pantry, and our food lines, our soup kitchen lines are getting a little bit longer, and it’s just because of rising costs. A lot of people don’t really have the means to keep up with eggs, being you know, five, six almost $7 dollars a dozen.

If you are interested in volunteering for the food bank, click this link https://goldenharvest.org/volunteer/.

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