BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — In a recent study by Feeding America, Kentucky had over 700,000 people who were food insecure in 2022. Nearly 55,000 of those people were children. In Warren County, they ranked fourth among the most food insecure counties in the state, with nearly 20,000 people having a lack of nutritious diets. Experts say it’s because of population density.

Dalla Emerson, the Director of Food Service Operations for Bowling Green City Schools, said, “Warren County has a large influx of people coming in and looking for a better life. We also have a lot of refugees and migrant families coming in and looking for jobs, so the density of the population contributes to a lot of that.”

According to the report, average meal prices have increased within Warren County—increasing from $3.49 to $3.93. According to Matthew Brown, the procurement director for Meals, Inc. the higher cost is a big reason why food insecurity has increased.

Brown said, “We’ve had so many price increases with groceries, we see that with what we’re doing, so I think that really contributes to what is going on, as far it makes it more difficult to make their money stretch.”

Feeding America says that in 2022, nearly one in five kids in Kentucky were food insecure within their 42-county service region.

Brown said, “This is a real problem in the community and across the state, and people need to take it seriously.”

However, there are ways to combat this crisis. One way is through programs like the Summer Food Service Program, which gives kids’ free meals throughout the summer; meals are served at places such as churches, parks and schools.

Emerson said, “We meet those kids there, and feed them as much as we can.”