Our past two editorials have been about free school lunches in New York and the rising rates of childhood obesity. So, continuing on that theme of food, health and nutrition, we would like to bring awareness to a salient problem: our neighbors in Sullivan County are going hungry.

According to the organization Feeding America, Sullivan has a food insecurity rate of 14 percent (in 2023, the latest data available), which is among the highest in the region and an increase over previous years.

Food insecurity, according to Feeding America, occurs when a household cannot access enough food due to a lack of money and other essential resources. 

There are many contributing factors, such as income, expenses, access to affordable health care, the surrounding social and physical environment, and barriers to opportunity, which lead to a cycle of preventing food access. 

In a letter to the editor from June, Tom Nardacci, Regional Food Bank CEO, wrote, “The recent ‘Map the Meal Gap’ report issued by Feeding America highlights what we at the Regional Food Bank have been witnessing over the past several years: more families than ever are in need of assistance.”

But individuals and organizations in our community are working to get food to those who need it most.

We applaud Assemblyperson Paula Kay’s recent announcement of funding directed toward health-focused organizations. 

This includes $30,000 to the Guild of St. Margaret (Grace Episcopal Church) to sustain essential soup kitchen and pantry programs, including supplies for daily operations and meal distribution; $50,000 to Sullivan Catskills Regional Food Hub, Inc. (A Single Bite) to expand weekly meal service to 900 food-insecure residents in Sullivan County; and $63,886 to Sullivan180 for programs including initiatives to promote healthy eating in local schools.

And we would be remiss not to mention local activist Martin Colavito, who will be undertaking a 46-mile walk with his wife to raise awareness and funds for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York in Montgomery.

“We want to take this time to reflect on how lucky we are and have real conversations about hunger and hardship,” Colavito says. “Hunger doesn’t care what party you belong to. If you’re suffering, you’re suffering.”