David King, director of the Warren office of Arkansas Foodbank, updated Warren Lions Club members on Wednesday about the program.
King, a Lions Club member, said that Arkansas is second in the nation for food insecurity. About 549,000 people or 1 in 5 Arkansans don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
Warren schools participate in free school breakfast and lunch programs. He noted those might be the only meals some of those students receive.
Top photo: David King, director of the Warren branch of Arkansas Foodbank, gave the program at Warren Lions Club on Wednesday. He is shown with Lions President Neeley Vance. Photo by Tim Kessler.
Households among the working poor are the fastest growing group that needs help with food. “Hunger is a problem of the entire community,” King said.
In 1984, Arkansas Foodbank began its services which mostly consists of providing food to local food pantries. In 1986, 1 million pounds of food was distributed to 400 partners. That amount grew to 40 million pounds last year.
In 2011, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation began the Warren food bank which now serves 11 counties.
The Warren branch services Ashley County, with four pantries; Bradley, six pantries; Calhoun, two pantries; Chicot, five pantries; Cleveland, four pantries; Dallas, four pantries; Desha, two pantries; Drew, seven pantries; Lincoln, three pantries; Ouachita, 11 pantries; and Union, nine pantries.
In 2022, the Warren facility provided 5 million pounds of food. King said a goal for this year is to open a pantry at the local food bank.