Local Ag Commissioner starting effort to combat hunger in KY

FRANKFORT, KY – Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles is launching an initiative to combat hunger.

The state Department of Agriculture says the effort will include farmers, businesses and charitable and faith groups. Quarles is scheduled to introduce members of a Hunger Task Force on June 2 at Gallrein Farms near Shelbyville. The group will have its first meeting that same day.

An annual study by Feeding America showed that 17 percent of Kentucky’s population is struggling to avoid hunger, or nearly three-quarters of a million people.

Quarles says it’s unacceptable to have such a dire hunger problem in a state with a rich agricultural history. He says the goal is to make nutritious foods accessible to more Kentuckians.