NewsLocal News

Actions

Food insecurity in KC: 41 Action News joins TODAY Show, Harvesters to raise awareness

Harvesters warehouse
Posted at 6:06 AM, Dec 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-15 07:23:24-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The TODAY Show is joining Feeding America to raise awareness for the level of food insecurity across the U.S.

In Kansas City, TODAY teamed up with 41 Action News and Harvesters to showcase the efforts being made to help families, especially during the global pandemic.

According to Harvesters, more than 387,000 people are at risk of going hungry in the Kansas City area, including one in five children.

That number is up roughly 85,000 people since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Harvesters said October and November of 2020 were its largest food distribution months in 41 years of existence.

The organization distributed 6.9 million pounds of food in October and just over 7 million pounds in November.

Those totals combine with previous months for a total of 54 million pounds of food distributed since the pandemic began, which is more food than was distributed in the entire year of 2019.

Harvesters' work is one of just a handful being showcased on the TODAY Show.