Nearly 1 in 2 children in Hancock County, Georgia, are growing up without consistent access to food, the highest rate of child hunger in the nation. According to recently released data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, 47.8% of children in this rural Georgia county are living in food-insecure households.

Hancock County, just west of Augusta, is part of Golden Harvest Food Bank’s 24-county service area and now reflects the most severe child hunger in the country. While food insecurity touches every community, the scale of need in Hancock County is heartbreaking and signals a growing crisis for rural families across our region.

“When nearly one out of every two children in a community is going hungry, that is not just a statistic. It is a crisis,” said Amy Breitmann, President and CEO of Golden Harvest Food Bank. “For many, it is hard to believe this level of hunger exists right here in the CSRA. But we see it every day. We know parents are doing their best, but they cannot do it alone. It will take all of us, neighbors, partners and leaders, working together to change this story.”

Across Golden Harvest’s service area, the numbers are staggering. A total of 44,790 children are experiencing food insecurity. In addition to Hancock County, counties like Burke, Richmond, Jefferson, Emanuel, and Warren are also seeing an extremely urgent need, with 1 in 3 children growing up without regular access to the nutrition they need to grow and thrive.

Golden Harvest Food Bank is calling on neighbors, donors, volunteers, community leaders, and policymakers to come together, because no one should have to face hunger alone.

To learn more about how you can get involved and help change the story for children in Hancock County and across our region, visit www.goldenharvest.org.