Just in time for the holidays, two North Carolina A&T State University graduates are taking a stand against hunger among college students, and making a difference in three states. Nearly 30% of four-year university students and 40% of two-year college students face food insecurity. Makayla Williams and Alexis Wray founded MarketBoxx in 2019 to bridge the gap, and now, their mission extends beyond their own school, sending food boxes to college students in Alabama, North Carolina and Texas. .
The number of people in Wyoming who don t know where their next meal will come from is on the rise, according to new U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Rachel Bailey - executive director of the Food Bank of Wyoming - said organizations like hers are also facing higher food costs as they work to ensure neighbors in need can access nourishing food during the winter holidays, and beyond. .
Roughly one in eight Nebraskans who have experienced hunger is a child. The state has a chance to help their families afford groceries, but must opt in to a federal program to do so. During the COVID Public Health Emergency, families with children eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school also received Pandemic EBT funding to help them afford groceries during school closures and summer vacation. .
Today, nearly 4,000 Utahns are lacing up their running shoes and putting on a costume for the Utah Food Bank s 18th annual Utah Human Race. Ginette Bott, president and CEO of the Utah Food Bank, said as many gather in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it is an important time to remember close to 320,000 Utahns face hunger, and one in 10 Utah kids do not know where their next meal is coming from. She explained by running with an "attitude of gratitude," many are helping the food bank in the fight against statewide hunger. .