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MOUNT VERNON — Roughly 13% of Knox County residents are food insecure, according to Knox Public Health’s 2021 community health assessment.
Food insecurity refers to a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Additionally, roughly 19% of children in Knox County are estimated to be food insecure according to the assessment, and respondents specifically noted the COVID-19 pandemic has made nutrition and food choices more limited.
These figures are on par with data collected through Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study as well, which lists Knox County as having a food insecurity rate of 13.2% in its latest 2019 study. While data is not yet known for 2021, Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate to be higher.
Knox County’s food insecurity rate is similar to the rate of Ohio as a whole, but it is 20% higher than the national average.
As many prepare to gather with family for a Thanksgiving meal, others lack access to food.
Here are the places people can go in Knox County to receive a meal on Thanksgiving day (and other days thereafter), as well as locations that are in need of volunteers to serve hot meals:
The free community Thanksgiving dinner typically hosted annually in Mount Vernon will be closed to the public this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however organizer Sarah Wood said she will still be preparing dinners for the homeless shelter.
Volunteers are not needed to serve meals, however Wood is looking for food donations. A running list of needed items can be found at the Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner Facebook page, which is updated periodically as donations are received.
Several sites run regular hot meal programs in Knox County.
On Thanksgiving day the Salvation Army of Mount Vernon will be serving a hot meal, which it does every Thursday, Salvation Army Capt. Christine Moretz said.
“We are doing our regular Thursday night hot meal,” Moretz said. “Not necessarily Thanksgiving dinner, but it is a nicer hot meal to be handed out at the regular time.”
People can receive a hot meal Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Salvation Army located at 206 East Ohio Avenue in Mount Vernon. The meal will be takeaway, not sit-down.
Those who wish to volunteer can call the The Salvation Army office at 740-392-8716 anytime before Thursday, Moretz said. Two to three volunteers are needed per meal at this time because of the takeaway structure. The Salvation Army is planning to open for sit-down meals in 2022 and will need more volunteers then to do so, Moretz said.
Before and after Thanksgiving day people can receive hot meals at the following:
Mondays: Dinner at The First Presbyterian Church
Tuesdays: Dinner at First Congregational United Church of Christ
Wednesdays: Dinner at First Church of the Nazarene
Thursdays: Dinner at The Salvation Army
Fridays: Dinner at Gay Street United Methodist Church
Saturdays: Dinner at Seventh Day Adventist Elementary School
Sundays: Lunch (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) at The Salvation Army
In terms of donations, Food for the Hungry is collecting food and funds to benefit Interchurch Social Services, The Salvation Army and other food assistance organizations of Knox County. Upcoming events featured here.
