Happy holidays from No Kid Hungry Michigan! 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 Michigan. From Detroit to Traverse City 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 Michigan Grants
In 2024, No Kid Hungry Michigan granted over $120,000 to 8 schools and 1 community organization. These grant dollars helped to launch and expand rural non-congregate summer meals and help kids get the nutrition they need to thrive.
Supporting the Launch of Summer EBT
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 Summer EBT 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, over $100 million in Summer EBT benefits reached almost 900,000 children across Michigan, helping ease the burden of high grocery bills. No Kid Hungry Michigan has advocated for Summer EBT 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 Michigan. This summer, 80 sponsors served almost 4 million rural non-congregate meals, helping children and families access summer meals more easily. This is more than double the non-congregate meals served in summer 2023! No Kid Hungry Michigan supports summer meals sponsors through technical assistance, grant funds, and best practices research.
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!