Local and state lawmakers are talking about food insecurity in the CSRA

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – A dozen of those lawmakers spent the morning at Golden Harvest’s Feeding the Future Roundtable talking about how to fix the hunger problem in our area.

Feeding America data reveals that 1 in 6 people and 1 in 4 children across the region face food insecurity. All coming at a time when there are fears of federal funding cuts for SNAP benefits.

“The house version of the budget reconciliation bill shifts costs for the actual food benefit SNAP to states, “ said Danah Craft, Executive Director of Feeding Georgia. “Most states simply won’t be able to afford it. So, they’re going to either cut benefits or restricting who’s eligible for them in order to balance their own state budget.”

Hancock County has the highest child food insecurity rate in the country, according to Feeding America. Thursday’s Feeding the Future event gave attendees insight into how bad the problem really is.

“We understand the data; we understand the people behind the data that are dealing with food insecurity across our 24 counties,” said Amy Breitmann, President and CEO of Golden Harvest Food Bank. “And so, this is a really important conversation, and I think it’s not just about what happened today. It’s about the follow-up conversations and how we work together to find solutions.”

For community leaders, it’s a huge issue.  They used the roundtable event to discuss ways to work with Golden Harvest to fight hunger.

“We have to always keep the issue of food insecurity at the top of our minds because it’s an issue that many people in Augusta, Richmond County are dealing with,” said Jordan Johnson, District 1 Commissioner. “Especially in my district where we make up a good deal of the poverty rate in our county.”

It all came back to one point: these aren’t just statistics or stories but colleagues, friends, and neighbors experiencing hunger.