Two days before Thanksgiving, God's Pantry Food Bank handed out 7500 boxes of food to families in central and eastern Kentucky.

Earlier today, volunteers passed out some of those boxes at Southland Christian Church in Lexington.

So food insecurity is at the highest level we have ever seen, right?

280,000 people across central and eastern Kentucky.

18.2% of those who live in this geography.

And it's growing.

But what we see right now is an elevated awareness, an elevated understanding of how important public, private partnership is.

We learned a month ago that when Snap benefits, are placed on hold, that hunger relief changes.

Unfortunately, we're past that time.

But, the recovery rate for the ripple effects of what we've experienced over the last couple of months, will take some time.

And sharing Thanksgiving is an incredibly important piece of that recovery process this year.

I'm retired and everything now.

I was a horse training driver and, right now everything can get so expensive in.

Having a hand like this can help a family or anyone else is very appreciated.

I have a daughter, about 16.

I've been raising ever since a baby, and sometimes you don't know where things ends.

Weeks coming from.

But a day like today is very appreciated and I hope do the best for everyone for Thanksgiving.

A food bank that serves much of central and western Kentucky is expanding operations.

Feeding America, Kentucky's heartland, welcomed the community into its new Bowling Green warehouse.

Today, their distribution center is in Elizabethtown.

They say this new space will help them get food to their partner agencies faster.

Feeding America helps nearly 250,000 Kentuckians in 42 counties.

They receive food from places like local retailers, growers, food drives and the USDA.

They then sort and package it for pantries, senior centers, soup kitchens and other agencies.

The food bank says the government shutdown and conversation around Snap benefits heightened awareness about food insecurity.

It's a topic and a conversation that, we work in day in and day out.

But with the government shutdown, that was one of the key points, along with things like health care.

But in our realm, you know, we were able to show that, programs like Snap are very crucial to the work that we do.

We work with over 200 partner agencies.

Last year we distributed over 20 million pounds.

So we feel that there's logistical wins that we have by having a facility here where our trucks can leave from here, can pick up here so that we're not all working out of just our Elizabethtown warehouse.

Feeding America picks up fresh food five days a week from local retailers.

This warehouse has refrigeration space as well as storage for organizations like the Red cross to keep cots, water and other supplies in case of a natural disaster.

They say there will be volunteer opportunities starting in the new year.