Happy holidays from No Kid Hungry Louisiana! As we enter this time of rest to prepare for the new year, we are also reflecting on the highlights and changes from the past twelve months. Across Louisiana, our partners and supporters have worked tirelessly to make sure that Louisiana kids have the nutrition they need to grow and thrive, 365 days a year. Join us in celebrating our shared wins and looking ahead to how we will continue our fight to ensure no kid in Louisiana goes hungry.
Reflecting on 2023
- In Summer 2023, Louisiana was able to implement summer rural non-congregate meals. While many students look forward to the summer months, losing access to school meals can also mean losing a key source of nutrition. Establishing the ability to provide to-go meals greatly increases access to summer meals, making sure that Louisiana kids are able to access healthy meals all year.
- On September 6th, 2023 Governor John Bel Edwards visited Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts in Marrero, LA to ceremonially sign Act 305, which provided reduced-price eligible students meals for free and nearly $860,000 to cover the cost of reduced-price meals.
- In Fall 2023, No Kid Hungry celebrated our Hunger Heroes and here in Louisiana we celebrated Mrs. Rosie L. Jackson, Executive Director of Child Nutrition for New Orleans Public Schools.
- In addition to celebrating Hunger Heroes, No Kid Hungry launched the Thank a Hunger Hero campaign which gave communities across the country a chance to acknowledge and thank leaders in their schools.
Looking Forward
Despite these wins, we know that our work is not over. As we look ahead to 2024, we remain committed to ensuring that every kid has 3 meals a day, 365 days a year. For us at No Kid Hungry Louisiana, that means…
- Continuing to advocate for actionable policy changes at the federal level to improve nutrition access by modernizing the summer meals program, supporting nationwide summer EBT, strengthening SNAP, expanding no-cost school meals, and improving WIC.
- Supporting child nutrition programs like school, afterschool and summer meals by providing critical resources to school districts like grant dollars, trainings, and resources.
Thank You
As we approach the end of another remarkable year, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude. Your unwavering support and collaboration have been instrumental in our shared success. This year has been filled with challenges, triumphs, and moments of growth, and we are truly thankful for the hard work and dedication you have contributed to our endeavors.
We would like to thank Governor John Bel Edwards and First Lady Edwards for making sure Louisianians had resources and information about where to access meals and for making sure that ending hunger was a priority in their administration.
To our partners, community organizations, school nutrition staff, and other supporters, none of this work can be accomplished without your shared commitment to make No Kid Hungry a reality. Your commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed.
As we look forward to the opportunities that the coming year will bring, we are confident that our continued partnership will lead to even greater achievements. We wish you a happy and healthy 2024 and thank you once again for your outstanding efforts.
Happy Holidays
No Kid Hungry Louisiana
Rhonda M. Jackson, Director
Tiffany Blackwell, Sr. Manager