Local reaction to USDA canceling food security reports: ‘Ending data collection will not end hunger’

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Local food banks often rely on the federal government to tell them who needs the most help--seniors, young people and families.

But the report that tracks those numbers is going away a month from now.

“Data really does support the stories that we hear. They are the numbers behind the faces, and the faces are people that live in our communities,” said Heather Collier, donor relations and communications manager for the SEMO Food Bank.

But that will soon change for Collier and the SEMO Food Bank.

On Saturday, the USDA announced plans to cancel future household food security reports, which provide annual data on Americans lacking access to adequate nutrition.

“It’s going to be harder to see where we compare to others, other regions, without the national data,”