Quarles hails generosity of Kentucky's business community

FRANKFORT (March 11, 2022) - An evening dedicated to raising awareness about food insecurity in Kentucky, raised thousands for three groups with a mission to stamp out hunger. The Serving Up Solutions dinner, now in its fourth year, raised $20,500 in ticket sales and sponsorships, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles announced.

Proceeds from the dinner benefited Feeding Kentucky, Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry (KHFH), and Glean Kentucky.

“In its fourth year, we are thrilled the Serving Up Solutions dinner continues to benefit those who need it most,” Commissioner Quarles said. “Thanks to our corporate and government partners, we were able to raise money to feed Kentucky’s less fortunate and raise awareness of the problem of chronic food insecurity in the commonwealth. We are deeply grateful to our guests, our presenting sponsor Humana, and everyone else who had a hand in making this event a complete success.”

State Senator Robin Webb and State Representative Phillip Pratt served as legislative hosts for the event where state legislators served as celebrity waiters for those in attendance. Humana was the presenting sponsor.

“With more than 700,000 food insecure Kentuckians, it takes committed partners to address these issues and Kentucky's partners are amazing,” said Katrina Thompson, executive director of Feeding Kentucky. “The money raised by Serving Up Solutionswill assist in providing meals and resources to those families who do not know where their next meal is coming from.”

“Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry is grateful for the continued support of our strategic partners in helping alleviate hunger in the commonwealth,” said Roger LaPointe, executive director of Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry. “We are especially grateful for Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and his Hunger Initiative project.We appreciate them hosting the Serving Up Solution event, with the support of Humana, other corporate sponsors and our state legislators and staff.”

“Glean Kentucky was honored to benefit from the fourth Serving Up Solutions dinner,” said Stephanie Wooten, executive director of Glean Kentucky. “We are grateful for the commitment of the Commissioner and those in attendance to ending food insecurity across the commonwealth. The proceeds from the dinner will allow us to provide fresh produce to more of our fellow Kentuckians in need.”

“Collaboration is a crucial part of the battle against food insecurity,” said Andrew Renda, M.D., MPH, Vice President, Bold Goal and Population Health Strategy for Humana. “We’re honored to sponsor and support the Department of Agriculture’s annual Serving Up Solutions so all Kentuckians have proper food access to achieve their best health.”

The Hunger Initiative is a first-of-its-kind effort in Kentucky that Commissioner Quarles launched in the spring of 2016 to bring together farmers, charitable organizations, faith groups, community leaders, and government entities to look for ways to reduce hunger in Kentucky. For more information on the Hunger Initiative, go to kyagr.com/hunger.

Map the Meal Gap 2019, an annual study by Feeding America, revealed that nearly one in every seven Kentuckians – including one in six children – was food insecure, meaning that consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year.