'Removes barriers to healthy food': Wake County targets food insecurity through new plan

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- There is a changing face of hunger in Wake County. Jennifer Caslin with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina said families can't catch a break between the pandemic and inflation.

"Could be your neighbor. Could be someone in your family. Could be the kid that goes to school with your kid," she said. "We have a food finder on our website where people can go and find food pantries and help near them. The increase in visits to that page went to 60% in February alone. We are seeing a big increase in the number of people needing assistance."

According to Feeding America, there are 1.2 million people across the state facing hunger.

According to the Center on Budget Policy Priorities, some use government assistance programs to put food on the table for their families. Fifteen percent of the state's population or 1 in 7 people participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

"We know there are so many places where people are just struggling," said Wake County Commissioner Matt Calabria.

On Monday night, Wake County Commissioners approved an update to the food security plan. It allocates $7.2 million to make sure people have access to healthy food.

"To cut down on these barriers to healthy food, some of the things we're working on are providing delivery services to cut down on transportation barriers. We're looking at pop-up farmers markets," he said.

He said that during the next few months, the public should see efforts targeting food deserts, which are often found in less-affluent communities.

"We think this will be a huge benefit to our community, and we're looking forward to getting started," said Calabria.