Your neighbor is hungry
Kentucky faces significant hunger challenges. In fact, 19 of the nation's 25 most food-insecure counties are in Central and Eastern Kentucky.
Hunger isn’t always visible. There is no one face, no typical person, no singular demographic that faces food insecurity. Neighbors all around us, across the commonwealth and the nation, experience hunger.
Feeding America’s 2025 Map the Meal Gap research (2023 data) identified nearly 280,000 people facing food insecurity in Central and Eastern Kentucky. As defined by the US Department of Agriculture, that means hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians lack access to enough food at times for an active, healthy life.
Hunger in Kentucky
279850
people in Central and Eastern Kentucky are unsure where they'll get their next meal
1
in
4
children in Central and Eastern Kentucky are at risk of going hungry
12
.
0
%
of Kentucky seniors lack regular access to enough food
1540055
people in Kentucky are experiencing hunger
Learn More
Understanding Hunger and Food Insecurity
Food insecurity describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for each member to live an active, healthy life. Understand more about the causes and effects of food insecurity.
Read moreHunger in America
Hunger in America is a series of studies that provide comprehensive demographic profiles of people seeking food assistance and an in-depth analysis of the partner agencies in the Feeding America network that provide this assistance.
Read moreHow you
can help
