RALEIGH, N.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending its annual survey that tracks hunger in the country, despite the rise in food costs.

Here in North Carolina, where more than 600,000 people face food insecurity, local organizations like The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina say the cuts could affect how they can serve families in the state.

At the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, dozens of volunteers spend hours packing boxes with bread, milk, meat and canned goods, some essentials for families who can’t afford to purchase them on their own.

Here in North Carolina, officials say over 600,000 people face food insecurity. That’s why staff and volunteers say the timing couldn’t be worse.

Volunteer Cathy Engel says it’s not just about packing the food, but building a connection with a family even if it’s brief.

“Meeting all the people that come in and talking to them, that’s what makes me want to continue to come,” Engel said.

She says that in her five years of service she’s seen the need for food increase, but supplies are decreasing. 

“We’re much more limited in what we give out, and even what the food shelves are limited in, what they’re allowed to get from this distribution center,” she said.

Vice President Jason Kanawati Stephany agreed, saying that the USDA’s decision could cause more harm than good to communities in need.

“Our pantries are seeing near unprecedented need. So we don’t need that government data to validate that experience,” Kanawati Stephany said. “But here’s where the government data is vital. It’s vital for us to make decisions about where we invest our resources. And more importantly, it tells government leaders where resources and investments are needed.”

“Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity have remained virtually unchanged, regardless of an over 87% increase in SNAP spending between 2019-2023,” the USDA said in its announcement.

But volunteers aren’t giving up, and entire organizations like Blue Cross N.C. are sending employees to help meet the growing need. 

Lori Taylor, health food director at Blue Cross N.C., said it’s important to step away from everyday tasks and give a helping hand.

“This is the way that we can all make an individual contribution together,” Taylor said.

Engel says they’ll continue to show up.

“It’s hard to be hopeful, but this place gives me hope,” she expressed.

In 2023, 47 million people lived in food-insecure households, according to the USDA. Of those, nearly 14 million were children.

The survey has been published annually for 30 years, throughout both Republican and Democratic administrations.

The last report is scheduled to be released on Oct. 22.

WACO, Texas (KXXV) — To say the least, it has been a memorable four games for Baylor football so far this season.

A walk off field goal by Arizona State at McLane Stadium brings the Bears to 2-2 for the season and now they are heading to Stillwater looking to bounce back against Oklahoma State.

Watch the full story here:

Baylor looks to bounce back in road game against Oklahoma State

“Saturday’s game was a tough one,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “But, I think the message there is that hey, you can prepare, you can practice, you can do all of the things — that doesn’t mean you’re gonna win. There’s still more things that you gotta do.”

“There’s no participation trophy for preparing right and staying late and doing the extra all these details matter and so we’re really focused on that,” he added.

The Bears enter Stillwater following the firing of Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy after 21 years on the job. While the Cowboys are reeling, the Bears understand that they still have a talented roster.

“They play hard, you know. They get after the ball, their record doesn’t reflect the kind of team they are. They got a lot of talent and they’re gonna be ready to play,” safety Devyn Bobby said.

“Same thing we always talk about — respect all, fear none. We take that into every week, you know they’re still a great program. They have great coaching staff, great athletes on the field, so we gotta be prepared and ready for them,” wide receiver Kobe Prentice said.

After the Arizona State game, head coach Aranda spoke about complimentary football. While the defense had a great game last week, the offense struggled — and they are looking to find that balance.

“Obviously we didn’t get the win, so we got to get better so you know a lot of people might say we had a great game but we didn’t get to win — we could have had more stops, had more turnovers, but you know we’re still having to attack everyday mindset and we’re trying to get better,” Bobby said.

“The higher level than all of that is the team is that you know if one side’s down the other side picks it up. We need to be able to have that, you know, when we’ve played at the level that we need to play, we play that way and so we’re going to continue to aim for it,” Aranda said.

Baylor vs Oklahoma State is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. this Saturday.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – The deputy executive director for the South Carolina Elections Commission has been fired amid an ongoing SLED investigation.

According to a spokesperson from the elections commission, Paige Salonich was fired after an internal investigation was made into her conduct. She was initially suspended while the investigation was ongoing.

In Salonich’s termination letter, the elections commission said that she was caught by agency security cameras placing “an unauthorized device in the SEC training room a clear violation of state and agency policy,” on Sept. 17.

In the letter, the commission said that placing the unauthorized device “constitutes the unauthorized use and misuse of state property and raises serious concerns regarding trust, confidentiality, and workplace integrity.”

Salonich also allegedly used profane language and raised her voice at leadership on Sept. 17, saying that she “was being held hostage at you own (explicit language) job,” and that she “would never be a hostage in this (explicit language) place again,” per her termination letter.

Her termination comes after former Executive Director of the South Carolina Elections Commission, Howard Knapp, was also fired on Sept. 17.

SLED is currently investigating Salonich’s placement of the unauthorized device.

The full letter can be found below.

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS for the latest details.

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