Extension homemakers provide 1 million meals
The current COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t deterred members of the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council from their goal of raising enough money to provide one million meals to Arkansans struggling with food insecurity.
The council—one of Arkansas’ largest volunteer groups with more than 3,700 members statewide—has kicked off an online food drive to provide food for needy families. Donations can be made via https://uaex.edu/EHC. The group is partnering with six Feeding America Food Banks across Arkansas, many of which have seen spikes in food requests as Arkansans face unemployment and income loss amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, 17.3% of Arkansans were at risk of not knowing where to get their next meal, and 23.6% of children were food insecure before the pandemic.
The council was already planning a statewide food drive before the pandemic. Last fall, the state’s 320 EHC clubs chose food insecurity as their statewide community service project and set a goal of raising enough money and collecting enough food to provide one million meals.
Meals will be tracked based on buying power of the regional food banks, which buy large quantities of food, often for pennies on the dollar. At the Arkansas Food Bank, $1 provides five meals; at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, $1 provides as many as 10 meals.
Donations are routed to the food bank of the donor’s choice. Partnering food banks include the Arkansas Food Bank, Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, Food Bank of North East Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, Harvest Regional Food Bank and River Valley Regional Food Bank.
