Roughly 1 in 5 Russell County residents are considered food insecure, according to data from Feeding America.
The latest Feeding America Map the Meal Gap study reports just under 21 percent of Russell County residents, roughly 3,800 people, are considered food insecure. That number has gone up recently, rising more than 4 percent in two years.
The percentages are higher for Russell County children, as 24.5 percent of children in the county are considered food insecure.
Food insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as the lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Food insecurity rates in surrounding counties range from 18.5 percent in Adair County to 23.6 percent in Wayne County.
