Contact: Johanna Elsemore at 202.478.6554 or jelsemore@strength.org
Washington, DC – The national anti-hunger campaign No Kid Hungry has announced five winners of its 2018 Summer Meals Hero contest. This year’s inspiring line-up of local champions is proof that it really does take a village to feed kids in the summertime. The winners include individuals from school districts and community organizations across the country who were nominated by members of their local community. Whether they spend their workday in a church, a hospital, or a food truck, these No Kid Hungry summer heroes go above and beyond to change the lives of kids in need.
One of the five recipients of the national award is Annette Woods Mitchell, Commissioner of the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority. In the three years that Annette has been a site administrator for the Summer BreakSpot Program, she’s gone above and beyond to ensure the kids she serves receive nutritious meals and enrichment activities, coordinating free field trips and tutoring to compliment the summer meals program. “She is constantly thinking of new ways to get children engaged and to learn along the way,” said Maria Trinidad Miguel, a No Kid Hungry Youth Ambassador with Florida Impact. “She puts the needs of her community before her own.” Nearly 75,000 kids in Broward County face hunger.
Summer can be the hungriest time of year for many children from low-income families. When schools close, students no longer get school meals, and families struggle to put food on the table. Summer hunger can have a long-term impact on a child’s health, ability to learn and general well-being. No Kid Hungry and its partners focus on connecting kids to the national Summer Meals Program as a critical way to end childhood hunger.
“Reaching kids during the summer months can be a tough nut to crack, but I’m so inspired by the work that’s happening in communities all across the country,” said Lisa Davis, Senior Director of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. “Thanks to everyday heroes like the amazing folks we’re recognizing today, many more kids will return to school this fall well-nourished and ready to learn.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org