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Story by Susan O'Connor, Photos By Dero Sanford

Combating hunger in Northeast Arkansas is paramount to Christie Jordan and Caryl Steele, two Jonesboro women who work to make the Canned Goods for Good Neighbors Food Drive a success story of growing proportions.

Last year, more than 4,000 pounds of food was collected and distributed, a 100 percent increase over 2005.

“We would love to see a 100 percent increase again this year,” said Jordan, executive director of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas. “Regardless of the level of growth, the point is: every donation received will make a difference in someone’s life. Every can donated is a can that we didn’t have prior to the food drive.”

Canned Goods for Good Neighbors began in 2004, the idea of former KAIT general manager Ted Fortenberry. BancorpSouth was asked to co-sponsor the drive. KAIT continues to co-sponsor the event.

“We were very happy when KAIT approached us, because it is very much in keeping with how Bancorp South serves the community,” said Steele, marketing and publicity officer for BancorpSouth in Jonesboro. “It was a perfect fit for us. BancorpSouth not only agreed to sponsor the food drive, we embraced it. It is so important to our employees to give back and serve the community.”

Fourteen BancorpSouth branches in Northeast Arkansas are the drop-off point for food donations, and the food is distributed in the county in which it is collected. In addition to four locations in Jonesboro, BancorpSouth has branches in Greene, Izard, Mississippi and Randolph counties.

The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas serves as a conduit to link the bank branches to local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, according to Jordan.

Food bank staff also picks up all the food donated at the Jonesboro BancorpSouth locations in the area and distributes it to agencies in Craighead County. Both women stressed that these donations, whether a single can of corn or a jar of peanut butter, add up to a difference in people’s lives. More, specifically, they signal hope.

“When you donate food, you are giving so much more,” Jordan said. “You are feeding hope for so many people.”

For Jordan, the stories are personal. As she begins to explain the hunger she witnesses on a daily basis in Northeast Arkansas, she becomes emotional.
“When you think about a family that has to worry about their child’s next meal and you take that burden away, you have given hope.

“Lots of parents, classified as working poor, have minimum wage jobs and have difficulty making ends meet,” Jordan explained. “The increase in fuel prices has affected all of us and has affected prices of all the products we buy. A lot of people who were just barely making it are now having to ask for help.”

Jordan said one of the most difficult aspects of her position is that many people — especially those in a position to have a notable impact — do not realize the seriousness of the hunger situation in Arkansas.

“A lot of readers may think, ‘this is trite’ or ‘this is fictitious,’ Jordan said. “We hear that all the time. But I tell you, it exists. Even when you try to paint the picture for someone, they still think it doesn’t exist. They say, ‘How much is real, and how much are you telling me to pull at my heartstrings?’ I tell these stories because it is real — hunger is real.”

The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provides food for an estimated 32,900 different people annually. Approximately 4,200 people receive assistance in any given week.

Of the households served by the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, 31 percent of household members are children under 18 years of age. Sixty-eight percent of those children are food insecure, and 23 percent are experiencing actual hunger. These statistics are findings from a study on hunger completed in 2006 in conjunction with America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s food bank network, of which the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas is a member.

And many clients surveyed have to regularly choose between food and other necessities, such as heating fuel or medicine.

Other statistics to ponder, published in a report by the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, an association of Arkansas’ food banks, are as follows:

• Arkansas has the third highest incidence of hunger in the nation.
• One out of every nine Arkansans required food assistance in 2005.
• With more than 400,000 living in poverty, many Arkansans cannot afford enough to eat.
• The faces of hunger are different than many people think. Thirty-six percent had at least one employed adult in the household; six percent were homeless.
In 2006, the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas distributed 1.7 million pounds of food.

“While that sounds like a lot, the amount needs to triple to meet the needs of just the poverty populations in the counties we serve,” Jordan said.
The food bank serves a network of 90 agencies in 12 counties, and Jordan said the agency has outgrown its current facility on South Culberhouse.

“We need to significantly increase our distribution to seriously impact the problem of hunger in Northeast Arkansas,” Jordan said. “We are experiencing growing pains and researching the feasibility of building a new distribution facility for the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas.”

Donations are always needed, but that need is amplified during the holidays.
Giving, Steele pointed out, is a responsibility that should be taken very seriously.

“I’ve always had a fondness for non-profits — they are essential,” said Steele, who is a member of the food bank’s board of directors. “I believe it is so important to give back. Personally, I think anyone who has enough to eat and never has to worry about food should contribute — there is no other option.”
Steele also noted the importance of a tie between philanthropy and business.
“No philanthropic effort can succeed without business involvement,” she said. “They are very closely linked.”

Perhaps most crucial in the battle to abolish hunger in this land of plenty is making children aware from an early age of the need that is all around them.
“The importance of giving was ingrained in me from an early age,” Jordan said. “We were involved as a family. We’d all get in the car and take homemade cookies to our elderly neighbors. Those really are some of the best memories of the holidays. I still look forward to the holidays and a chance to give to others.”