Pictured above, those attending the Arkansas Hunger Action Month proclamation signing in Little Rock were Mike Ichniowski, River Valley Food Bank; Kathy Webb, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance; Christie Jordan, Foodbank of Northeast Arkansas; Gov. Asa Hutchinson; Camille Wrinkle, Harvest Regional Food Bank; Rhonda Sanders, Arkansas Food Bank; and Kent Eikenberry, Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson recently proclaimed September as Arkansas Hunger Action Month and Sept. 14 as Hunger Action Day. The proclamation signing took place on Aug. 21 in his office in Little Rock.

In attendance were leaders of six hunger relief agencies in the state, the River Valley Food Bank, Fort Smith; Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, Little Rock; Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, Jonesboro; Harvest Regional Food Bank, Texarkana; Arkansas Food Bank, Little Rock; and the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, Bethel Heights.

According to the proclamation, 19 percent of Arkansans struggle to provide enough food for their families and 25 percent of its children wonder where their next meal will come from.

Arkansas has the highest percentage of hungry seniors of any state in the country and second highest percentage of citizens facing the most severe threat of hunger.

“No child, senior citizen, man, or woman deserves to go without food. Cognitive-learning deficits and failure-to-thrive syndrome in children, recurring illnesses among seniors, lack of productivity, and absences from work, along with long-term social and economic impact are among the damaging effects of food deprivation,” according to the proclamation.