Little Rock proclaims Hunger Action Month as food commission readies mobile market; food-truck owners urge outreach

Mayor Frank Scott Jr. on Tuesday proclaimed September 2025 as Hunger Action Month and announced that the city has allocated $1 million toward hunger-relief efforts and created a Little Rock Food Commission to guide local food-access policy and programs. Director Cathy Webb, who the mayor described as the board’s lead on food access, told the board the commission has raised more than $40,000 to help retire the Little Rock School District’s school meal debt and is coordinating with state and federal partners on broader meal-funding concerns.

Why it matters: the proclamation frames a formal, city-level response to food insecurity in Little Rock and signals continued use of federal ARPA funds for a mobile grocery market and related initiatives. Residents and business owners at the meeting urged the board to couple those programs with outreach that lowers barriers for local food entrepreneurs.

Board and staff said the commission is already engaging partners. Director Cathy Webb said, “We have raised over $40,000 to help retire the school meal gap for the Little Rock School District.” Webb also said the commission recently met with staff for U.S. Sen. Boozman, Department of Education officials and Rep. Tiffany McCullough to discuss reductions in school-meal and SNAP funding and to invite those offices to the mobile-market launch.

At the same meeting, a speaker representing the Hispanic community, Junior Telles, said some local food-truck operators face a ‘‘high barrier of entry’’ and language barriers that keep them from participating in city food festivals. Telles asked the administration and the AMP (arts, markets and parking) commission to provide education and outreach instead of enforcement notices, so food-truck families can “not just survive but thrive in our city.”

The proclamation cited data to underscore need: the mayor’s reading referenced U.S. Census Bureau poverty figures and Feeding America’s Meal Gap 2024—stating that in Pulaski County roughly 73,290 people (about 16.3% of the county population), including about 25,770 children, experience hunger annually. The mayor and staff also noted that statewide emergency food networks distributed more than 92 million pounds of food last year.

What the city will do next: the Food Commission and community programs staff said they will continue partnerships with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the Arkansas Food Bank, and the commission intends to launch the mobile market funded through ARPA dollars. No new binding ordinance or budget vote was recorded during the proclamation; the mayor read the proclamation during the meeting and staff described ongoing outreach and partner coordination.

Community response and outstanding questions: food-truck operators asked for specific, actionable support—language-access materials, reduced fees or streamlined permitting and in-person training—rather than enforcement communications. The board did not adopt a new permit policy at the meeting; the request was made as a citizen communication and staff were asked to follow up.

Background: Mayor Scott and the board have signaled use of American Rescue Plan Act funds for food-access programs. Director Webb described the commission’s fundraising and recent advocacy to state and federal officials about school-meal funding.

Looking ahead: staff said the mobile market launch and ongoing commission work will continue; the food-truck owners’ request for targeted outreach was recorded during citizen communications and is pending staff follow-up.