August is not an easy month.
For folks with young kids, it’s chaos trying to get back into the swing of school. Many businesses are staying on their toes in the midst of fiscal year transitions. And meanwhile we’re all just trying not to sweat to death in the Southern summer heat.
In the scuffle, it’s easy to put on our blinders and stay in our lanes. This is the part where I challenge you to look up.
Two of the nonprofits we highlight this month share a common goal: feeding hungry Arkansans. One in five Arkansans doesn’t know where their next meal will come from — 77,800 in Pulaski County — and it’s worse for kids and seniors.
Feed Arkansas Kids with the Arkansas Foodbank provides meals for 1,652 children every weekend in central Arkansas. In 2018 alone, CareLink made and delivered 635,660 meals to senior citizens in the area, and those are just the ones who spoke up and asked for help.
So between changing schedules and last-minute trips, let’s make a concerted effort to be more aware of our neighbors, more conscious of their needs and more intentional about how we can help.
Below are some of the local anti-hunger nonprofits working in our state. Read up. Reach out.
Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance
501.399.9999
Info@ARHungerAlliance.org
Be Mighty Little Rock
501.918.3016
KDeRossette@CALS.org
Arkansas Foodbank
501.565.8121
Info@ArkansasFoodbank.org
Potluck Food Rescue
501.371.0303
CareLink
501.372.5300
Info@CareLink.org
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
501.371.9678
Connect@ARAdvocates.org