Hunger up across U.S., especially in Appalachia

This from the Rural Blog:

An unprecedented number of Americans are seeking charity food, says a new study from the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Feeding America reports in a news release "more than 37 million people, one in eight Americans -- including 14 million children and nearly 3 million seniors -- receive emergency food each year through the nation's network of food banks and the agencies they serve."
The data represents a 40 percent increase from the organization's last comprehensive study in 2006.

The God's Pantry's report, "Hunger in Central and Eastern Kentucky," says 310,170 people in the 50-county service area live in poverty and the group serves 12 of the 25 poorest counties in the nation. Among those served: Owsley and Clay counties, which the U.S. Census Bureau ranks as the third and fourth poorest counties in the country.