Happy holidays from No Kid Hungry Louisiana! This holiday season, we are taking time to reflect on the last twelve months and the steps we have taken towards ending childhood hunger in Louisiana. From Shreveport to New Orleans and all in between, there are school nutrition professionals, community members, and other supporters working to make sure every child gets the food they need to play, learn, and grow. Please join us on a trip down memory lane, celebrating some of our favorite highlights from 2024.
No Kid Hungry Louisiana Grants
In 2024, No Kid Hungry Louisiana granted over $190,000 to 11 schools. These grant dollars helped to launch Breakfast After the Bell in new school districts, expand rural non-congregate summer meals, and help kids get the nutrition they need to thrive. To read more about our grantees’ innovative approaches to improving food security, check out stories on our blog.
Supporting the Launch of Sun Bucks
Summer is often known to be the hungriest time of year; while students should be excited for a break from schoolwork, they often lose the stability of school meals. Summer 2023 marked the start of the Sun Bucks program, a new program which provides grocery benefits to families of children and young people eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. This summer, $72 million in Sun Bucks benefits reached nearly 600,000 children across Louisiana, helping ease the burden of high grocery bills. No Kid Hungry Louisiana has advocated for Sun Bucks for years, and has worked hard to spread the word about the program, so that all eligible families are able to receive the benefit.
Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meal Expansion
Summer meals haven’t been reaching all the children and young people who experience food insecurity. One of the greatest barriers towards summer meals participation, especially in rural areas, is transportation. If parents work during the day, children may be unable to get to the locations where meals and activities happen. Non-congregate models like grab & go pick-up or delivery allow children to eat at home and provide more flexibility and support to families. Summer 2024 was the second year that rural non-congregate models were available to summer meals sponsors in Louisiana. This summer, 101 meal sites served rural non-congregate meals, helping children and families access summer meals more easily. This is an increase since summer 2023! No Kid Hungry Louisiana supports summer meals sponsors through technical assistance, grant funds, and best practices research. You can read more about some of our summer success stories here.
No Kid Hungry Louisiana In the News
One of the most important steps to ending childhood hunger is spreading awareness. This year, we are so grateful to all the reporters who helped share important news about food insecurity in Louisiana. Below, you can read some of our favorite stories highlighting not only the struggles families are facing, but the work that school districts, community organizations, and other partners are doing to make sure our children have access to three meals a day, 365 days a year.
- Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome Assumes Leadership of Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger
- “No Kid Hungry has a long history of partnering with schools, community organizations and policy makers in Baton Rouge and across the state to ensure every child in Louisiana is nourished to achieve their dreams,” said No Kid Hungry Louisiana Director Rhonda Jackson. “I’m proud to see Mayor-President Broome stepping into the role of Chair and look forward to our continued collaboration to end childhood hunger and ensure our kids, our families and our communities thrive.”
- The Legislature did the right thing with Summer EBT. Here’s why it was good.
- “Further bipartisan opportunities to fight childhood hunger are on the horizon. Before we know it, another summer will come around, and our children will face another season with little or no access to regular meals, and our families will feel the economic strain. This year, our Legislature came together to ensure that children aren’t facing summer hunger.”
- Zachary plans to serve ‘second chance’ breakfast
- “Some kids don’t like to eat first thing in the morning. At Zachary High School, students who don’t enjoy early meals will soon be able to take advantage of a “second chance” breakfast after their first classes of the day. The initiative is being funded by a $9,000 grant the school district recently received from No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit organization.”
Conclusion
Finally, we want to reiterate our thanks for you and your support. To our partners, policymakers, community organizations, school nutrition staff, state agencies, and other supporters, none of this work can be accomplished without our shared commitment to make No Kid Hungry a reality. Thank you for working tirelessly to ensure kids have the food they need to dream of a brighter and more caring future. We wish you a happy and healthy 2025!