National Food Bank Week was declared initially in 1987 as a one-time event. Now, it is observed during the second week of October annually. But there is need throughout the year and you can help a local food pantry or food bank any time.

Our SunLight Project story on senior hunger recently pointed out that the nearly 300,000 seniors a year in our state go hungry, according to the Georgia Department of Human Services. Georgia is also ranked ninth in the country when it comes to senior food insecurity. 

Hunger, though, knows no age limits. It knows no race or religion. It does not differentiate between living in a city or living far from the street lights. 

But hunger in rural areas is a problem. 

According to Feeding America, people who live in rural areas face hunger at higher rates. Living in rural areas, those who experience hunger face the problem of living in what is known as a food desert. 

Feeding America’s statistics show that 2.4 million rural households face hunger and that three-fourths of the counties with the highest rates of food insecurity are in rural areas. Also, 86 percent of the counties with the highest rates of child food insecurity are rural, Feeding America points out.

Whether it’s your own church’s food pantry, Second Harvest of Georgia or the Thomas County Food Bank, the people they help and serve are in need. The Thomas County Food Bank provides more than just food as it also has blankets and coats for those in need, and the weather is going to turn colder in the coming weeks. You can see what items Second Harvest is in need of most at its website feedingsga.org. 

Though National Food Bank Week has passed, our food banks and food pantries could use stocked shelves to help those whose cupboards are bare.