Food Insecurity

Some 55 percent of families with kids on SNAP have jobs — they just don't earn enough to live on. Many states where reliance on SNAP is heaviest voted overwhelmingly for Trump last November.

Pantries in southwest Virginia — where poverty is rampant and coal jobs are vanishing — will take whatever they can get to stock bare shelves. Some also offer help with health care and job training.

The Top Chef judge, restaurateur and hunger advocate says many of our nation's problems are related to food. One of the biggest ways to address this is to make meals more nutritious and accessible.

About 23,000 military families rely on food stamps, according to Census figures. But advocates say that number is only a partial picture of the need among people who are currently serving.

Groups that help low-income families get food aid report a big drop in the number of immigrants seeking help. Some are canceling government benefits for fear it will affect their immigration status.

When infants and young kids grow up in homes without enough to eat, they're more likely to perform poorly in kindergarten, a study shows. The younger they experienced hunger, the stronger the effect.

Similar to "little free library" boxes that are filled with free books, these "blessing boxes" are stocked with food and toiletries for people in need to take — anonymously and whenever they want.

Food banks are increasingly saying no to cakes, holiday candy and other junk food donations. But some schools are sending them healthier donations by salvaging uneaten foods in their cafeterias.

Simply shuffling the shelves may be a powerful way to help those living in poverty choose healthier options, a nationwide study of food banks suggests.

At least a quarter of people in West Virginia struggle to afford groceries. In one county, two farmers are finding new ways to help their neighbors sell the food they grow and eat more healthfully.

Many kids rely on school for food their families can't afford. Two reports suggest one group is falling through the cracks: teens. Dogged by hunger, teens may try a wide range of strategies to get by.

Melting ice has made it harder to hunt walrus, a traditional staple for Alaska Natives. Warmer temps mean caribou aren't where hunters used to find them. It all adds up to more food insecurity.