No Kid Hungry for Summer

Summer is the season for kids: a time to be outside, make new friends, and explore! 

However, for many kids, summer also means hunger. School is on summer break, and with it goes the safety net of daily meals.

Students usually get healthy meals from their school meal programs. On long school breaks like summer, it could mean going without meals for hours at a time. Several local schools and community groups provide free summer meal programs, but summer 2022 brings more rising food insecurity as prices for goods continue to increase.

On March 9, 2022, the FY22 omnibus appropriations bill excluded the authorization to extend necessary child nutrition waivers. As a result, there will be about 20% fewer meal sites operating this summer than last year, resulting in a loss of about 95 million meals.

It does not have to be a hungry summer for kids and teens. Chef Lorena Garcia, Big Freedia, and Ayesha Curry urge everyone to help make sure all children get the meals they need this summer!

The “No Kid Hungry” National Campaign

No Kid Hungry is a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America. Through a powerful combination of public-private partnerships, grassroots organizing, and engaging families and communities, No Kid Hungry is working to ensure that every child gets the healthy food they need every day.

Chef Garcia, Big Freedia, and Ayesha Curry are some high-profile faces supporting the campaign. They have all spoken out about the issue of childhood hunger and called for Americans to do their part in ensuring that no child goes hungry this summer.

The free summer meal programs are even more crucial this year as food insecurity threatens to rise. The pandemic has already posed challenges for many children, and the struggle is not stopping anytime soon. Ayesha Curry — the wife of NBA player Stephen Curry, a mother, and philanthropist — knows this all too well.

She partnered with No Kid Hungry through the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. Alongside her is Chef Lorena Garcia, who knows the role of food and nutrition in childhood development. Food and nutrition influence a child’s success and happiness, and Garcia is committed to ensuring that all kids access them.

Big Freedia — a New Orleans-based rapper and songwriter — has seen firsthand how childhood hunger can affect a community. That is why she is teaming up with Curry and Garcia to help spread the word about No Kid Hungry’s work.

“I’ve seen No Kid Hungry’s work and the impact of summer meals sites firsthand in my hometown of New Orleans. Kids need full stomachs to grow properly and to focus on being kids. Summer meals give them the opportunity to do just that.”

Big Freedia

No Kids Hungry works with Citi, the Arby’s Foundation, and more partners in the public and private sectors.

Free Summer Meals: One Text Away!

No Kid Hungry and the campaign ambassadors are spreading the word about how possible it is for families to get free summer meals for students. To locate free meal sites in the neighborhood, parents and guardians can text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 304-304.

No Kid Hungry’s summer campaign is a bilingual text service, making it easier for multilingual families to find their resources. Everyone is welcome to help boost the campaign the whole summer to eradicate childhood hunger!

As Big Freedia said, kids need full stomachs to focus on being kids. No child deserves to go hungry — not this summer and not ever! No Kid Hungry is working to secure that, and you can too!