ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — A new study finds a growing number of people in northeastern North Carolina don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and that includes children.
Localized data from Feeding America’s “Map The Meal Gap” report found 14.7% of the population in northeastern North Carolina are experiencing hunger or what’s known as food insecurity.
That represents 43,630 people across the 15 counties served by the Food Bank of the Albemarle, up from 36,000 people the year before.
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These numbers are from 2022 but those trends appear to be continuing.
“It’s related to the rising costs of food, primarily,” said Brian Gray, communications and volunteer manager for the Food Bank of the Albemarle. “Fuel, housing, medicine, all those things that seem to keep rising and don’t seem to be stabilizing.”
The report also found one in four children in the region aren’t getting enough to eat.
“That’s an alarming number of children to wonder where they’re going to get their meals…when school is about to get out for the summertime,” Gray said.
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Gray said donations of goods and, more importantly, money will help. He said people should also advocate for more government funding to combat hunger.
“For every meal that we can provide, SNAP can provide nine meals for someone,” Gray said.
And another way to get involved is volunteering, either at the main facility in Elizabeth City or at the Food Bank of the Albemarle’s partner agencies across the region.
If you need assistance with food, you can also log onto the food bank’s website for more information on resources in the 15 counties it serves.
