By Verna Slate, Williamson County Bureau
CARTERVILLE, Ill. — Southern Illinois held its sixth annual Food Security Summit in Carterville, according to the Southern Illinoisan.
The need behind the gathering is stark: more than 45,000 residents in the region — nearly 15% of the local population — struggle with food insecurity, according to Feeding America's "Map the Meal Gap," as cited by the Southern Illinoisan. Hunger doesn't always show itself on the street, but in a county that's watched jobs come and go with the mines and the mills, it's never been far off.
The Southern Illinoisan did not report the full list of speakers or specific initiatives announced at the summit in what was made available to this bureau. The American Times Press will follow up on what the summit produces for local food programs heading into winter.
— Compiled from reporting by the Southern Illinoisan.
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