RELEASE: Arizona schools and organizations receive nearly $1.5 million From No Kid Hungry Arizona to feed kids amidst COVID-19
“These grants will help ensure kids in Arizona continue to get the nutrition they need to learn and grow,” says Erica Olmstead.
Contact: Adrienne Carter at acarter@strength.org
Contact: Wendy De La Peña at wendy@azfoodbanks.org
7/8/21, Washington, DC: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families in communities today face increased hardship. Hunger and poverty, already at unacceptable levels, are affecting children at an alarming rate, and the hunger that kids face today has the power to impact the rest of their lives.
As part of No Kid Hungry Arizona’s continuing effort to ensure all children in Arizona remain nourished and healthy, the campaign has announced nearly $1.5 million in grants to 77 school districts and community organizations to support their efforts to feed kids since the COVID-19 pandemic began. No Kid Hungry Arizona is a collaborative effort between Share Our Strength and the Arizona Food Bank Network committed to ending childhood hunger in Arizona by ensuring kids get the food they need.
“No child should have to struggle with an empty stomach or stress about when they will eat again. These grants help reach more kids with the food they need to grow up healthy, educated and strong,” said Erica Olmstead, Field Manager for the No Kid Hungry Campaign. “Through grab-n-go, delivered meals and more, schools and organizations across the state have been working tirelessly to feed Arizona’s kids.”
“The financial support No Kid Hungry has provided helped so many schools expand their feeding programs, and has also provided them fundamental equipment so that schools can focus on what is most important: making sure no kid goes hungry,” said Alexander Meyer, Community Programs Manager, Arizona Food Bank Network. “The difference No Kid Hungry made prompted other funders to come forward so that even more schools – and the children they serve – could benefit.”
Below are the recipients of No Kid Hungry grants across the state of Arizona:
- Aguila Elementary School District #63
- American Charter Schools Foundation D.B.A. South Ridge High School District
- Antelope Union High School District 50
- Balsz School District
- Bicentennial Union High School District #76
- Black Mesa Community School
- Bowie Unified School District 14
- Camp Verde Unified School District
- Career Development Inc
- Cartwright Elementary School District
- Casa Grande Elementary School District
- Center for Academic Success, Inc.
- Chandler CARE Center
- Chinle Unified School District
- Colorado River Union HS District #2
- Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
- Concordia Charter School, Inc.
- County of Maricopa Alhambra Elementary School District No. 68
- Crane Elementary School District
- Creighton Elementary School District
- Desert Mission Inc.
- Empower College Prep
- Franklin Phonetic Primary School, Inc.
- Fredonia-Moccasin USD #6
- Gadsden Elementary District
- GAP Ministries
- Gila Crossing Community School
- Globe Unified School District #1
- Humboldt Unified School District
- Imagine Bell Canyon
- J O Combs Unified School District
- Joseph City Unified School District
- Kyrene Elementary School District
- Lake Havasu Unified School District #1
- Liberty Elementary School District
- Liberty Traditional Charter School
- Littleton Elementary School District No 65
- Miami Unified School District 40 County of Gila
- Mobile Elementary School District
- MOHAWK VALLEY SCHOOL
- Mollen Foundation for Childhood Obesity
- Naco Elementary School District
- Nadaburg Unified School District #81
- Native American Christian Academy
- Native Health, Inc.
- Navajo Lutheran Mission
- Page Unified School District #8
- Paloma School Dist 094
- Payson Unified School District
- Phoenix Union High School District
- Prescott Valley School District
- Roosevelt Elementary School District No. 66
- Sacaton Elementary School District #18
- Saddle Mountain Unified School District
- Sahuarita Unified School District
- Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community Schools
- Sanders Unified School District No. 18
- Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District #840
- Scottsdale Unified School District
- Show Low Unified School District
- Snowflake Unified School District #5
- Somerton School District #11
- Southwest Leadership Academy
- Anthony of Padua Catholic School – Arizona
- Mary’s Food Bank
- Michael Indian School
- Success School
- Sunnyside Unified School District
- Tempe Community Action Agency
- Tempe Union High School District #213
- Tombstone Unified School District
- Tombstone Unified School District
- Topock Elementary District
- Tucson Unified School District
- Wickenburg USD
- Willcox Community Food Pantry
- Wilson Elementary School District #7
- Window Rock Unified School District #8
- Young School District #5
About Arizona Food Bank Network
The Arizona Food Bank Network (AzFBN) is a coalition of 5 regional food banks and almost 1,000 food pantries and agencies, working to address hunger in Arizona. Together, our network feeds almost one million people each year in all 15 counties in Arizona. We amplify the good work of these food banks by raising awareness about hunger, coordinating large food donations between food banks, and providing resources and education. We are not a food bank ourselves, but support food banks, collaborating with them and government agencies, community organizations, schools, and other partners to create a hunger-free Arizona.
We put our mission into action by working with elected officials at the state and national levels to educate them on food policy issues that affect Arizonans, transporting and purchasing food in bulk for our member food banks, and partnering with schools and school districts, community organizations, and nonprofits to ensure kids get proper nutrition 3 times a day, 7 days a week, through school meals and summer meal programs. We also work on solutions for other at-risk populations, like seniors, college students, and rural Arizonans as well as serve in the statewide coordination during disaster situations to ensure adequate nutrition to those impacted; our most recent efforts being the coordination of the National Guard at food banks during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about our work, or to find help with food, visit www.azfoodbanks.org