Monthly Archives: May 2026

Food insecurity rises in northeast Arkansas as costs climb

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Story by DDNS reporter Benjamin McDowell

Photo courtesy of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas

As grocery prices climb and paychecks fall short, more Northeast Arkansas families are waiting in food bank lines to make ends meet.

Food insecurity is rising in northeast Arkansas as inflation drives up the cost of groceries, gas and housing, putting increased pressure on local food banks.

The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas secures donations from food and grocery industries, government agencies, individuals and other organizations to provide for people in need. The food is stored in the organization’s 59,600-square-foot distribution facility in Jonesboro.

Terry Austin, a development officer focused on fundraising and communications, said demand for food assistance has increased over the past year due to inflation, rising gas prices and cuts to federal support programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“Demand has risen already just from the cuts that we’ve taken so far from the economy being in rough shape,” Austin said.

Austin said donors are also feeling financial strain, forcing them to be more cautious with their contributions as they balance their own household expenses. He said the food bank has seen an increase in senior citizens and families seeking assistance.

“Everybody right now is watching gas prices go through the roof,” Austin said. “Everything is more expensive at the grocery store.”

According to Feeding America, about 240,000 people in Arkansas benefit from SNAP, including 113,000 children and 36,000 senior citizens. A University of Arkansas study estimates that 28.8% of Arkansans face food insecurity.
“The price of one pound of ground beef is now higher than the federal hourly minimum wage,” Austin said, describing the current conditions as a “perfect storm” of rising costs and reduced assistance.

Austin said he is concerned about the food bank’s ability to meet growing demand as grocery prices continue to rise and federal assistance programs face potential cuts.

“I’m honestly worried about making sure that we’re able to meet the needs that may be coming our way,” Austin said.
Feeding America estimates that cuts to SNAP benefits could result in a loss of up to 41 million meals for Arkansas families.

Laura Dunivan, who works on the programs team managing fundraising and grant efforts, said rising costs are bringing more first-time clients to food pantries.

“What used to be occasional support for some families is now something they rely on more heavily,” Dunivan said. “We’re consistently serving more households each month.”

Dunivan said many families use food assistance to fill gaps during financial hardship, allowing them to afford other essentials such as gas, rent or medication.

“Would you sit in a car line for an hour for a box of food if you could just go to Walmart and get it in 10 minutes?” Dunivan said.

She said transportation remains a major barrier in rural communities, where access to food pantries can be limited. To address this, the food bank operates the Nourish Mobile, which delivers fresh produce at no cost to underserved areas.
“Some of the people can’t come to the pantries, we have to go out to them,” Dunivan said.

Natalie Neal, the USDA coordinator for the food bank, said federal food programs play a critical role in addressing hunger across the state.

“With the rising price of food, it is more expensive to purchase food, and our neighbors can’t afford everything they need,” Neal said. “It really starts to feel like there’s a greater gap.”

Neal said the food bank has seen a decrease in USDA food shipments, limiting the amount of food available for distribution.

“We are seeing less come into the food bank, so we have less to go out to the community,” Neal said.

She said the organization works with mayors, churches and community partners to expand access and reach new households.

“USDA foods provide a pivotal source of food,” Neal said. “It helps keep food in the pantry to help us all get through difficult times.”

Bonnie Mamula, office manager at the food bank, said rising food costs combined with stagnant incomes are key drivers of food insecurity.

She said senior citizens are especially vulnerable because many live on fixed incomes while expenses continue to rise.
“Some counties only have a few pantries, and they’re only open a couple of times a month,” Mamula said. “People in more remote areas have fewer choices.”

Mamula said the food bank is also seeing more working individuals and recently unemployed residents seeking assistance.

“Even people with jobs can’t make ends meet,” Mamula said.

Jennifer Hannah, chief program officer, said inflation has affected not only how many people the organization serves but also the quality of food it can provide.

“If we look at our data over the last few years, what we’re seeing is consistently serving more people,” Hannah said. “Demand is always there; it’s just how urgent it is.”

Hannah said many families fall into a gap where they earn too much to qualify for assistance programs but not enough to consistently support their households.

“It’s not so much changing the services we deliver, it’s changing how much we’re able to deliver,” Hannah said. “When prices go up, the quality of people’s food is going to decrease.”

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A-State Museum more than just a museum

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Story by DDNS Reporter Mia Young

Photo courtesy of Arkansas State University.

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Arkansas State University Museum is not only a place where people can see parts of history, but also an educational resource for teachers, professors and students.

Many students spend four or more years at A-State without visiting the museum, missing a valuable interactive educational experience that could help them better understand what they learn in history classes. The museum focuses not only on Arkansas history, but also on preserving and showcasing the history of northeast Arkansas and the Delta region.

The museum serves as an informal learning environment, according to Elisabeth Engel, director of the A-State Museum.

“You don’t have to be here. It’s not like class,” Engel said. “So, you know, we value the people that come through because they’ve made an effort to come see us. We hope that they walk away feeling like that effort to brave campus, find a parking spot, and all of those kinds of things, in our particular environment, was well worth it.”

Students, faculty, staff and Jonesboro residents can visit the museum on their own or book a tour with Jill Kary, curator of education at the museum. For teachers and professors, the experience can be especially valuable.

Lillie Fears, professor and interim director in the School of Media and Journalism, brings her classes to the museum every semester to help students understand historical events in ways a textbook cannot.

“My favorite part about taking students to the museum is seeing their reactions when they see something old that we’ve talked about in class, or that is mentioned in our book or in a documentary. These types of experiences can allow them to step out of present-mindedness and to realize how the tools and technology they use in modern times evolved at different eras in U.S. and world history,” Fears said.

Many groups, Engel said, visit the museum with a specific purpose. For some groups, Engel pulls artifacts from storage and creates a “mini exhibit” tailored to their interests.

Fears prefers tours focused on communication history and artifacts, so Engel often brings out old newspapers, cameras and photographs for her students.

“I really appreciate how the director, Elisabeth Engel, is always willing to bring out old artifacts that pertain to mass communications and provide us with special lectures on the history of these media tools. A textbook or video could never do what she and Jill Kary, education coordinator, do for my classes,”

For some students, a focused tour helps them better understand what they have been learning in class.

“It made a lot of the concepts feel more real. In class, we talk about the history of media, but actually seeing the artifacts and examples in person helped me connect everything more clearly, especially how media has evolved and impacted society,” Kaysen Lomax, a junior creative media production major from Jonesboro, said.

For other students, seeing everything the museum offers gives them a perspective they otherwise might not have considered.

“Yes, I did thoroughly enjoy the tour Dr. Fears took us on. Seeing how passionate Jill Kary was about the black business district was inspirational. I enjoyed looking at all the old pictures of old businesses and equipment/technology, and find it crazy to see how much those things have changed,” Alexander Riggs, a junior creative media major from Forrest City, Arkansas, said.

While the museum serves as a tool for professors on campus, teachers in surrounding school districts also can use it as a resource.

Photo courtesy of Arkansas State University.

Traveling suitcase exhibits are smaller exhibits teachers can check out for two weeks at a time. They offer hands-on materials, visual aids and lesson plans for each exhibit. Teachers can choose from five options, including Pioneer Living, Portals of the Soul: Native American Culture, World War II on the Arkansas Homefront and more.

“All of them are linked to the educational standards that are dictated by the state,” Kary said.

Visitors can also explore the tinkering studio to test whether they have the same innovation skills as people on the Arkansas frontier.

“If the kids have been paying attention, in every gallery they’re seeing innovation happen,” Kary said. “So they are told to invent things, make something, and if it doesn’t work, tweak it, fix it.”

Learning does not just happen in the classroom; it can happen in many places, including the museum. And learning is not just for students. Anyone who visits the museum is welcome, whether for a specific purpose or simply for fun.

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