- U.S. hunger rates are the highest they've been since 2008.
- Food inflation has risen by 4.7 percent in the last year.
- Watch the video to see how Valdosta families get relief for the Thanksgiving holiday.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Malia Thomas in Valdosta. I'm at Second Harvest and ADM Valdosta's Thanksgiving for Thousands, where holiday cheer and free meals can be found.
"What has been the most rewarding aspect of your day today," I asked.
"Just helping and putting smiles on people." Meet Jerod Mack. He's a sophomore at Valdosta High School and is spending his Thanksgiving break volunteering to help feed his fellow Valdostans.
"I know a lot of people I've even been around and in that situation before, so I know how that feels. Then to now grow up out of that, knowing I was there at one point, to help puts a smile on my face."
There's no shortage of neighbors that need help.
Franklin Richards, president and CEO of Second Harvest South Georgia, tells me that they have seen, "700 cars coming through the site today. We will be giving away over a quarter million pound of food."
That's just puts a dent in managing food insecurity. I checked with the USDA. The country is undergoing its largest hunger increase since 2008.
This year, food inflation has gone up by 4.7 percent, and it's been on the rise for the last two years. For perspective, the average price of 1 pound of ground beef was $3.73 in 2019. Now, it's $5.34.
Jerod tells me giveaways like these, especially at this time of year, make a key difference.
"You always say what are you thankful for, but there's no one thing in particular to be grateful for, because this is so much to be grateful for."
Second Harvest has additional resources for those who couldn't make it. Find them here.
