May 24, 2017 – Marshall County, Kentucky has been the birthplace of several people of note since it was founded nearly 175 years ago1. Joe Creason, a journalist who wrote columns documenting the lives of everyday Kentuckians for The Courier-Journal, was born in Benton2, 3. Robert Grubbs, a 2005 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was born near Calvert City4, 5. And Joe Fulks, a Hall of Fame basketball player, was born in Birmingham4. But possibly the most important are those that often go unnoticed – the more than 3,500 people who struggle to put food on the table and provide for their family.
Marshall County is one of the 42 counties served by our organization. According to a Feeding America study, approximately 1 in 9 people living in Marshall County (11.8%) are food-insecure. This means that while they might not be going completely without food, they don’t always know when or where that food will come from. To help alleviate this uncertainty, there are several programs in Benton and other parts of the county that provide a reliable, consistent source of food for these individuals and their families. These programs are run by the Purchase Area Development District (PADD), the Partner Distributing Organization (PDO) that operates under FAKH in western Kentucky.
Through our partnership with PADD and local agencies, not only are these individuals and families able to fill their pantries and tables with various food items, but there are also programs that support those in the community who are more vulnerable. For example, each month more than 291 seniors receive a box of food through the CSFP Program. This government commodities program helps support those who are 60 and older that struggle to meet all of their own needs, usually because of a limited income.
The Marshall County motto is “Come to Relax. Stay to Explore.”6, but it’s hard to do either when you are hungry. We are incredibly grateful for PADD, the agencies in Marshall County, and all that they are doing to fight hunger in western Kentucky. But there is still a lot to be done. Your support can make sure everyone here has the chance to “Relax and Explore”.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_County,_Kentucky
2 https://www.kentuckytourism.com/city/benton/
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Creason
4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Kentucky
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