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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 4
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.104.14413.
Price, M. (2023). Feeding the Soul: Voices of Kentucky Women Combating Child Hunger. Advances in Social Sciences Research
Journal, 10(4). 297-311.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Feeding the Soul: Voices of Kentucky Women Combating Child
Hunger
Mya Price
College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability,
and Environmental Sciences, University of the District of Columbia,
4200 Connecticut Ave, Washington, 20008, District of Columbia, USA
ABSTRACT
This study addresses the overarching topic of food insecurity by giving voice to
individuals who dedicate their careers to combating child food insecurity
throughout their communities. Voices are uplifted through the representation of
narratives by volunteer coordinators overseeing child feeding programs, which
have been established throughout Kentucky as an effort to help alleviate child
hunger. This study is guided by London’s theory on career motivation. The
outcomes of this study serve as a pilot for future research centered on individuals
working to combat child food insecurity. The narratives collected from this study
will be used as a resource for generating public conversation, spreading awareness,
and to “tell the story “In regards to child hunger across Kentucky.
Keywords: Food insecurity, Child hunger, Alleviate, Narratives.
INTRODUCTION
Food insecurity is defined as limited or uncertain availability of nutritiously adequate and safe
foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways, is
still a problem in the United States [1]. In 2014, there were reportedly 48 million people
(15.4%) who were food insecure in the United States [2]. Of the 48 million who were food
insecure in 2014, in the year of 2015, Feeding America reported that 13.1 million children lived
in food-insecure households [2].
While most may consider the United States to be a thriving nation with an abundance of job
opportunities and available food resources, as of 2014, an overall total of 743, 310 (16.8%)
people were considered to be food insecure, and 222,380 (21.9%) of children were considered
to be food insecure throughout the state of Kentucky [2], to this day, statistics such as these
continue to be pertinent in many households across the United States, as adults continue to
struggle to provide food on the table for their children.
According to the Kentucky Food Bank Association, there are over 700,000 Kentuckians, or 1 in
7 adults, who do not always know where their next meal will come from (Kentucky Food Bank
Association, 2016). Additionally, nearly 1 in 4 of Kentucky’s children lack consistent access to
enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle (Kentucky Food Bank Association, 2016). In March of
2013, Governor Besheer announced that Kentucky was awarded a $3.2 million grant award to
help reduce childhood hunger [3].
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 4, April-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Overall Context of Food Insecurity
In addition to Kentucky, from Kentucky, high rates of food insecurity are a significant problem
throughout the United States [4]. Current estimates show that almost 49 million people live in
food-insecure households, meaning that at some time during the previous year they were
unable to acquire enough food or were uncertain of having enough food to meet their basic
needs due to inadequate household resources [4].
Many households affected by food insecurity exist in undernourished low- income communities
that may lack resources compared to communities that aren’t geographically or physically
considered to be in low-income areas [5]. In the United States, food insecurity is accessed in the
United States using an 18-item scale developed by the USDA in which questions ask about
several dimensions of food deprivation and include a blend of psychological consequences of
food insecurity and hunger [1].
The following updated thresholds have been established by the USDA when measuring food
insecurity within a household:
1. Food security: All household members had access at all times to enough food for an
active, healthy life.
2. Low food security: At least some household members were uncertain about having, or
unable to acquire, enough food because they had insufficient money and other food
resources.
3. Very low food security: At least sometime during the year, one or more household
members were hungry because they couldn’t afford enough food.
4. Marginal food security: All households falling into the marginal, low, or very low food
secure categories are said to be “marginally food insecure” [6].
Key Contributors of Food Insecurity
Relation to Poverty:
Hunger is principally caused by poverty. Though the populations affected by poverty and food
insecurity overlap, they are not identical in the fact that not all poor people are food insecure,
and the risk of food insecurity extends to people living above the federal poverty level. In stating
this, food insecurity plays a major role in the financial resources available within a household.
In 2012, 10% of US households had food insecure children, meaning that access to adequate
food for children was limited by their households’ lack of money and other resources [7].
U.S. households’ lack of access to adequate food increases the demand for financial resources
such as resources derived from cash and in-kind assistance provided by pubic and safety-net
programs. These public and safety-net programs include food assistance programs, housing
subsidies, and energy assistance programs [8]. A household’s access to food assistance
programs is measured by poverty thresholds and is predetermined amounts in which the
federal government estimates to be approximate levels of necessity for families of different
sizes and composition (i.e., number of people in the household and number of children or
elderly) [8].
Rural vs. Urban Food Deserts Access to Food:
“It’s about overwhelming access to really-bad-for-you foods,” says Mark Swanson, a social
anthropologist at the University of Kentucky [9]. In addition, “people tend to buy and eat what’s
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Price, M. (2023). Feeding the Soul: Voices of Kentucky Women Combating Child Hunger. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(4). 297-
311.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.104.14413
available,” noted Swanson [9]. Rural areas have some unique characteristics affecting food
availability and acquisition that greatly contribute to the higher prevalence of food insecurity
in non- metropolitan areas, which include the limited number of supermarkets, limited
availability of food items, and high relative costs of food [10]. Specifically, Appalachian
communities are disproportionately affected by the leading causes of morbidity and mortality,
and the region has some of the nation’s highest heart disease death rates, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [9].
Four aspects of rural poverty and well-being are discussed and compared with urban poverty
areas. These include rural poverty rates, rural children’s socioeconomic well-being, food
security levels in rural households, and housing problems in rural America [11].
Effects of Food Insecurity
Effects on Household:
Household income has been a traditional measure of economic well-being used in poverty
statistics; however, needs (both basic and non-basic) are not identical across families, and
therefore, income alone does not explain if a family can afford housing or adequate food or
personal care [12]. Lack of adequate income is a major reason why families experience food
insecurity, and as of 2005, there were more than 42% of households with incomes below the
federal poverty line ($19,350 for a family or 4) were food insecure [12]. Households with
children experience rates of food insecurity that are double those of the households without
children, while black and Latino families experience food insecurity at rates that are three times
higher than those of white families [13]. According to [7], traditionally, households headed by
single mothers have had the highest rates of child food insecurity (CFI) whereas married-couple
households have had the lowest rates (18.7% versus 6.3%, according to the most recent data
from the USDA. Currently, 1 in 5 children throughout the United States are born to cohabit, but
not married, parents [7]. For children in this type of household, previous research has
suggested that stepparents may be underinvested in non-biological children because they may
be less committed to children who are not their own (Family Structure and Child Food
Insecurity).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Federal Programs Working to Combat Food Insecurity
To ensure that food-insecure households have greater access to food resources, federal
nutrition assistance programs represent a major policy commitment to meeting the food- related needs of vulnerable segments of the populations [14]. While each federal program may
be different from state to state, and even from community to community, different geographic
locations differ in the availability of these programs as sources to support (Barfield et al., 2006).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is aware that throughout the United States, food insecurity
is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, don’t have physical, social, economic access
to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for
an active and healthy lifestyle [15].
SNAP/WIC
Compared to the other federal food assistance programs provided in the United States, the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is viewed as the most powerful and
effective anti-hunger program for approximately 23 million children nationally. SNAP improves