With food insecurity prevalent in the world, the Food Bank of Iowa details the roles smaller communities can play in helping out their neighbors.

According to Communications Manager Annette Hacker, a key step to addressing food insecurity within communities is for residents to pay attention to each other’s needs. She visits many counties that their organization serves and the common outlier she notices in smaller communities is that some people are working up to three jobs and still cannot afford food because of the need to pay for other necessities first like rent and utilities. Hacker encourages people to check on others and assist in any way possible, and then food insecurity can slowly begin to decrease.

“If we can help address that, then that frees up their very limited resources to pay another bill, to buy that pair of shoes that their child needs, to pay the rent, to fix the car so they can get to work, and for seniors to live out their lives in the most healthy, comfortable way possible.”

Hacker admits that witnessing hard working people struggle to make ends meet is the most heartbreaking aspect of her job. The Food Bank of Iowa serves 55 counties including Greene, Guthrie, and Dallas.