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DISCOVER LOUDOUN PULL OUT INSIDE
VOL. 7, NO. 45
We’ve got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
Parents Turn Tragedy into Advocacy Suicide Prevention Efforts Continue to Build BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com
With the start of school, students are back in classes and back into a routine. Many find relief from the change of being home all summer and look forward to the social interaction with friends. For others, it means rising anxiety, stress, and social and academic pressure which can contribute to a decline in mental health and risk of suicide. The suicide statistics for Loudoun County are staggering. On average, a Loudoun resident dies by suicide every 13 days, according to the Loudoun County Community Criminal Justice Board. The highest at-risk group for suicide is ages 45-64 (37%) followed by ages 15-34 (34%), and suicide is the leading cause of death for the 15-24 age group in
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Participants prepare for Sunday’s 2022 We’re All Human Color Run by tossing color powder in the air.
Loudoun County. Nationwide, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death, and on average there are 130 suicides per day, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Prior to the pandemic, mental health was already in decline and suicide was the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-34. But the events of the past two and a half years have left a lingering effect, which has caused doctors and med-
ical institutions to declare a mental health national state of emergency for kids. “The pandemic has struck at the safety and stability of families. More than ADVOCACY continues on page 34
Rising Inflation Leads to Greater Need at Food Pantries BY ALEXIS GUSTIN
agustin@loudounnow.com
As temperatures begin to cool and leaves begin to fall, many start to look forward to autumn and winter. But for many, the colder months can be stressful as the cost of everyday living goes up with colder temperatures. Heating costs are expected to climb even higher this winter. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association,
representing the state director of the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, estimated the average cost of home heating will increase by 17.2% compared to last winter. Prices are going up for electricity and especially for fossil fuels including natural gas, propane and heating oil. Meanwhile the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that food prices in August were already 11.4% higher than a year ago.
Together those climbing prices may make for a bleak winter for people already struggling with food insecurity. According to Loudoun Hunger Relief, in Loudoun County, between 15,000 and 17,000 people could be food insecure. That means they might not have enough money to get groceries before they get their next paycheck, or they don’t have enough healthy food to feed their family, or they are making hard decisions like paying their rent or mortgage or over
buying food, Loudoun Hunger Relief President and CEO Jennifer Montgomery said. September is Hunger Action Month, in a month-long campaign started by Feeding America to bring people together to end hunger. Loudoun Hunger Relief has hosted events like the empty bowl fundraising event on Sept. 15 and offered FOOD PANTRIES continues on page 18
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