Farm Bill Forum discusses tackling food insecurity in Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN Ky. – State and local organizations dealing with food security met today at the Community Farmers Market in Bowling Green to discuss the upcoming farm bill.

Groups like Feeding Kentucky, a subsidiary of Feeding America, are lobbying to increase the amount and coverage of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP) for Americans and Kentuckians.

“So we’re really looking at – you know – how do we strengthen and protect this program? How do we make sure that all Kentuckians who are receiving SNAP benefits are able to purchase food. SNAP is also the largest and most effective feeding program in the country. So for every one meal provided by a food bank, SNAP provides nine,” Cassidy Wheeler of Feeding Kentucky said.

Since this is federal funding, it is often overlooked that many public school systems are recipients of federal grants, and this is no different for the Bowling Green Independent School District.

“Education doesn’t stop within the classroom doors – it’s community wide. And for our department of food service – an event like this exposes what goes on in the schools in serving kids and the impact – the collaboration of the community and the state legislators and the federal government – how everything comes together and not a lot of people give a whole lot of thought to how the federal government impacts the local government. But it does,” Dalla Emerson of BGISD Food Program said.