Arkansas community leaders tackle food insecurity

Pulaski County, Arkansas – To combat food insecurity, Pulaski County community leaders require the support of the community at large.

This follows a year of reports indicating that Arkansas leads the nation in food insecurity. The amount of persons experiencing hunger has not decreased.

Beulah Hubbert, a former inhabitant of Jacksonville, has been tasked with reconstructing three food pantries that were devastated on March 31, 2023, by the strong EF-3 tornado.

Hubbert added that a few years ago, she opened three food pantries in Jacksonville to provide a proximate means of food access for the local population.

“I wanted to make sure everybody got fed, you know my thing is passion, I love helping people,” Hubbert added.
Now, Hubbert needs someone’s help. She has been looking for someone who would be willing to rebuild them out of the kindness of their own heart.

“I have the material but right now I need someone that wants to give me their hands and their talent and their time and build them for me,” Hubbert explained.

Despite her health issues that have prevented her from being as active as she once was, she still has a strong desire to feed those in need.

“I want it to be everybody’s passion to love and help people and I need them put up because we have children in those communities where I originally placed them who need badly,” Hubbert said.

Naturally, Hubbert believes that time is of the essence. Not just for her, but also for the Arkansas Foodbank, as the summer months usually see an increase in food insecurity.

“If you can imagine a family member, a child, grandmother, who is not sure where their next meal is coming from, that’s something that shatters your sense of security, and self-esteem and confidence,” said Brian Burton, CEO of the Arkansas Food Bank.

Burton clarified that children are the group most impacted by food insecurity. Their facilities can be of assistance in that situation.

“We’re working through Boys and Girls Clubs locally in Central Arkansas, to provide summer feeding programs. We’ve also got the summer EBT program through USDA, where every child can get $120 this summer to help with groceries,” Burton added.

Both Hubbert and Burton think that the hunger crisis can be resolved in due course since they are among those fighting on the front lines.

“We are working every day to lift that dignity up and to create that sense of hope. I think everybody giving what they can to help solve a solvable problem like hunger, particularly in the summertime,” Burton said.