PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. — Community leaders around Pulaski County need the community's help to join the fight against food insecurity.
This comes after a year of reports that show how Arkansas ranks number one for food insecurity. The number of people going hungry has continued to rise.
Former Jacksonville resident, Beulah Hubbert, has been working to rebuild three food pantries that were destroyed by the powerful EF-3 tornado that hit on March 31, 2023.
Hubbert said she placed three food pantries in Jacksonville a few years ago to help those in the community have a way of accessing food nearby.
"I wanted to make sure everybody got fed, you know my thing is passion, I love helping people," Hubbert added.
Now, Hubbert needs someone's help. She has been looking for someone who would be willing to rebuild them out of the kindness of their own heart.
"I have the material but right now I need someone that wants to give me their hands and their talent and their time and build them for me," Hubbert explained.
She has had health problems over the years and can't be as active as she used to be, but it hasn't stopped her heart from wanting to provide food to those who need it most.
"I want it to be everybody's passion to love and help people and I need them put up because we have children in those communities where I originally placed them who need badly," Hubbert said.
Of course, for Hubbert time is of the essence. Not only for her but for the Arkansas Foodbank which typically sees a rise in food insecurity during the summer months
"If you can imagine a family member, a child, grandmother, who is not sure where their next meal is coming from, that's something that really shatters your sense of security, and self-esteem and confidence," said Brian Burton, CEO of the Arkansas Food Bank.
Burton explained how the group affected by food insecurity the most are children. That's where their facilities step in to help.
"We're working through Boys and Girls Clubs locally in Central Arkansas, to provide summer feeding programs. We've also got the summer EBT program through USDA, where every child can get $120 this summer to help with groceries," Burton added.
With people like Burton and Hubbert at the front lines of the fight to end the war of hunger, they both believe it can be solved over time.
"We are working every day to lift that dignity up and to create that sense of hope. I think everybody giving what they can to help solve a solvable problem like hunger, particularly in the summertime," Burton said.