Sanders Signs an Executive Order Concerning Food Insecurity in Arkansas

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS COME – GREETINGS: 

E.O. 24-18: EXECUTIVE ORDER CONCERNING FOOD INSECURITY IN ARKANSAS
 
WHEREAS: According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Arkansas has the highest level of food insecurity in the nation. In Arkansas, 567,110 people are facing hunger, and of that number, 168,430 are children. According to Feeding America, that is 1 in 5 Arkansans and 1 in 4 Arkansas children. It’s clear that our state is in critical need of comprehensive solutions to address these sobering statistics and ensure that all Arkansans have access to sufficient and nutritious food.
 
WHEREAS: It is the policy of my administration to increase the efficiency of state government to better serve the citizens of Arkansas. The State of Arkansas can help meet the current needs of Arkansans by identifying regulatory burdens that may hinder state agencies from contributing to the fight against hunger.
 
NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, acting under the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Arkansas, do hereby order the following:

1. All department secretaries are directed to conduct a thorough review of the regulations, policies, and procedures of their agencies to identify any items that may be contributing to or exacerbating food insecurity in Arkansas. This includes, but is not limited to, regulations related to food distribution, eligibility criteria for food assistance programs, and interagency coordination.

2. Department secretaries shall submit a report to the Governor’s Office within 60 days of the issuance of this Executive Order. The report should detail any identified unnecessary regulatory burdens, their impacts on food insecurity, and recommendations for repeal or amendment.

3. Based on the reports submitted, the Governor’s Office will direct departments to develop a plan for repealing or amending regulations that impede efforts to reduce food insecurity.

4. The Governor’s Office will facilitate collaboration among the departments to ensure that regulatory changes are effectively implemented and that departments are aligned in their efforts to combat food insecurity.

5. This Executive Order shall become effective upon its signing and shall remain in full force and effect until the completion of the actions ordered herein.  

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 29th day of October, in the year of our Lord 2024.

Food desert elimination grant combats food insecurity in Arkansas

KUAR | By Sophia Nourani / KUAF

A new study conducted by the federal department of agriculture, or the USDA, has identified Arkansas as the most food insecure state in the country. With almost 20% of the state lacking resources to feed their household, Arkansas has a significantly higher rate of hunger than the national average of 12%.

There is a food desert in every county in Arkansas. What’s a food desert? According to the USDA, it’s a term used to describe a region with a large number of households facing low incomes, inadequate access to transportation and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh, affordable produce. In a rural state like Arkansas, these types of areas are common to find. And while residents may be growing food in these farming-driven communities, CEO of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance’s Sylvia Blain said the food isn’t for the farmers.

"So, we're an agricultural state," Blain said. "We export a lot of our food, but we're not necessarily growing fresh fruits and vegetables for our communities. So that's one of the reasons you have this level of food insecurity and food deserts in an agricultural state. So that's two different things, the agricultural products and then having fresh fruits and vegetables for your community. But across the board, you know, Arkansas has a high poverty rate, and so along with that comes a lack of transportation, a lack of access to a lot of the resources that we might need, and the inability to gain those resources for yourself. So you know, the root causes are varied."

Food desert elimination grant combats food insecurity in Arkansas

Flickr Image

New report ranks Arkansas’ food insecurity rate worst in the U.S.

From the Arkansas Advocate:

At a rate of nearly 19%, Arkansas has the highest prevalence of food insecurity in the nation, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Wednesday.

Freerange Stock Image

The annual study, which was conducted by the USDA’s Economic Research Service, found that Arkansas was one of seven states where the prevalence of food insecurity surpassed the national average of 13.5% in 2023, an increase from 12.8% in 2022.

The report defines food insecurity as being unable, at some time during the year, to provide adequate food for one or more household members because of a lack of resources. Very low food insecurity is the more severe range of food insecurity, where one or more members of a household experienced reduced food intake or disrupted eating patterns because they could not afford enough food.

New report ranks Arkansas’ food insecurity rate worst in the U.S.

Food program won’t benefit eligible Arkansas children until midsummer

From the Arkansas Advocate:

By July 10, most children in Arkansas will be well into their second month of summer break with five weeks of sunny, schoolless days under their belts, but some children will have spent those weeks without a reliable source of food.

Arkansas has one of the highest food insecurity rates in the nation and is one of only a few southern states that opted into a new summer food aid program, but the state Department of Human Services won’t get cards to participants until the second week of July.

Three dozen states are participating in a new federal food assistance program called the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or Summer EBT. The program is modeled off a similar service implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food program won’t benefit eligible Arkansas children until midsummer

Fred Miller/UA System Division Of Agriculture

Ashley Appel stocks the Appel Farms Store with fresh produce from the farm she operates with her husband, Travis, near Elm Springs.

Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance hosts food access summit

KUAR | By Maggie Ryan

The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance held a summit Wednesday to present the findings and recommendations from a study on food access.

The report was released by the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and the Arkansas Governor's Food Desert Working Group, which was named in 2022 under former Gov. Asa Hutchinson. According to the report, 15% of Arkansans struggle with food insecurity, compared with the nationwide average of 10%.

Jimmy Wright is the president of Wright Food solutions, a consulting agency that helps communities with a high food need respond to issues of food insecurity. Wright gave the keynote address at the summit and said those addressing food insecurity must stay rooted in the communities they want to serve.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-09-14/arkansas-hunger-relief-alliance-hosts-food-access-summit

Dan Charles/NPR

Salad greens grown in a BrightFarms greenhouse on sale at a McCaffrey's grocery store.

New report urges legislative action to provide SNAP benefits to Arkansas’ Marshallese community

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

A report released Thursday advocates for extending Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to the thousands of Marshallese migrants who lawfully reside in Arkansas and struggle with food insecurity.

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families worked with the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese for more than a year on the report, which recommends granting Marshallese migrants SNAP eligibility through one of three pieces of legislation currently under consideration by Congress, such as the Compacts of Free Association.

After testing nearly 70 nuclear bombs in the 1940s and 1950s that contaminated the Marshall Islands with radiation, the United States signed Compacts of Free Association (COFA) with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. The compacts allow the U.S. to operate military bases in the Freely Associated States, while FAS citizens may live and work in the U.S. and its territories as lawful non-immigrants.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-09-01/new-report-urges-legislative-action-to-provide-snap-benefits-to-arkansas-marshallese-community

Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families Northwest Arkansas Director Laura Kellams (left) looks on as Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese CEO Melisa Laelan (right) discusses a new report advocating for extending SNAP benefits to the Marshallese community. The two nonprofits released the report Aug. 31, 2023, during an event at The Jones Center in Springdale.