SOUTHAVEN, MS-- On this Thanksgiving, one thing to be thankful for is a hot meal. A new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows there are more families in the south than any other region who do not have adequate food.
Mississippi ranks worst in the country, with Tennessee and Arkansas not much further behind.
In Mississippi, more than 17 percent of all households suffer from food insecurity.
This means their food supply often runs out before they can buy more, and they can't afford to eat balanced meals.
“This is sweet potato soufflé” says Carol Hood, pointing out the dishes she cooked for Thanksgiving. It's been a busy day for Hood. This year, she's feeding 15 people-- her family and her neighbors, who say they otherwise wouldn't have a Thanksgiving meal.
All this- even though Carol has struggled too this year.
“I just had to move my daughter in. She got evicted. She lost her job.”
Between this week and last, volunteers with the Colonial Hills Church in Southaven put together holiday dinners for 1200 people. Pastor Jim May says he's not surprised Mississippi ranks highest in the nation for food insecurity.
“DeSoto County-- when it was booming it was booming because of construction and it's not booming in construction anymore so a lot of those people have found themselves out of work or working 2 or 3 days a week” says May. “Things are just tight for them.”
Things are tight for Carol Hood, who had to move to a smaller place because of her own health problems. One thing she's not lacking is holiday spirit.
“I believe that if you have anything that you can share than you might as well share it with whoever” says Hood. “Everyone deserves some food.”
The U.S.D.A says just 15.9% of all households in Arkansas suffer from food insecurity. In Tennessee, 13.5% of households don't eat healthy and balanced meals.
There are 17 million households across the United States that also suffer from this problem.
