Happy holidays from No Kid Hungry Nebraska! 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 Nebraska. From Scottsbluff to South Sioux 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.
Nebraska School Nutrition Heroes
In May, we were able to celebrate 24 school nutrition programs and professions as our 2024 School Nutrition Heroes! These dedicated professionals work hard every day to make sure that students are set up for success throughout the school day – serving up not only nutritious meals but joy, comfort, and fun. We are so grateful to recognize and honor some of our favorite partners across Nebraska! To read more, click here.
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 2024 marked the start of the nationwide Summer EBT program in Nebraska, a new program which provides grocery benefits to families of children and young people eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. This summer, nearly $24M in Summer EBT benefits reached almost 200,000 children across Nebraska, helping ease the burden of high grocery bills. No Kid Hungry Nebraska 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 Nebraska.
This summer, 26 sponsors served rural non-congregate meals at 36 sites, helping children and families access summer meals more easily. This number tripled from 8 sponsors the year before! No Kid Hungry Nebraska supports summer meals sponsors through technical assistance, grant funds, and best practices research.
Nebraska SNAC (Student Nutrition Action Committee) Success!
The Nebraska SNAC continued its collaborative work with school nutrition staff, state agency leaders, advocates, and community groups to ensure all kids have the food they need to thrive. We are currently building on the work from the 23-24 school year and bring school time and out of school time projects to fruition! Read more about last year’s work here.
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 Nebraska 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!