2020 has been a devastating year for our nation, as a global pandemic has killed nearly 300,000 Americans and left many more facing hunger and poverty. New York was Ground Zero when the coronavirus hit in March, and has been hit hard by the health crisis as well as the economic one.
But amidst the devastation, there are stories of hope – among them, the champions that have worked tirelessly to ensure kids in America have food in their bellies throughout this tumultuous year.
School nutrition staff have emerged as the unsung heroes, working day in and day out – at times putting their own health at risk to serve students with a smile. At the same time, many types of champions have rallied around childhood hunger like never before, using their voices to draw attention to the impact the pandemic has had and build awareness around critical programs that exist to make sure kids and families have enough to eat.
Today, we celebrate them. Please join us in saluting these champions and the many others like them:
New York City went above and beyond to make sure New Yorkers had enough to eat, from creating citywide food hubs to offering culturally appropriate meals for all.
This flyer is one of many that advertise the free meals and No Kid Hungry texting line across New York City.
When the pandemic hit New York, the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services quickly set up meal sites across the city, serving meals each weekday to New Yorkers of all ages. By the summer, there were over 500 meal sites spanning all 5 boroughs, serving more than 600,000 meals a day – all staffed by the dedicated members of Local 372, part of DC 37. The Mayor’s Office also created a home delivery program to ensure that medically fragile students and low-income seniors have the food they need. To ensure families receive meals that align with dietary needs, the City offers vegetarian meals at all sites and halal and kosher meals at many meal pick-up locations. We applaud New York City’s strong effort to make sure all New Yorkers continue to have nutritious, culturally appropriate meals!
Elected officials throughout the state worked to ensure their constituents had access to healthy meals.
Across all levels of government, elected leaders in every corner of New York State actively addressed hunger in their communities. They connected constituents to meals, passed legislation to increase food security, and kept the pressure on the federal government to expand food programs. By working together with community organizations, constituents and school districts, elected officials helped New Yorkers get the food they needed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Chef JJ Johnson has been a lifeline to his Harlem community during the pandemic and a steadfast advocate for hungry kids.
Chef JJ Johnson speaks with Axios about childhood hunger.
Harlem-based chef and cookbook author JJ Johnson has been a longtime ally for hungry kids, raising funds for No Kid Hungry and lobbying both state and federal leaders to strengthen critical child nutrition programs. When the pandemic hit, he served meals for kids at summer meal sites while also feeding thousands of frontline workers and community members in need through his restaurant FieldTrip’s “buy a bowl” program. The pandemic hasn’t stopped Johnson from lobbying Congress – in October, he joined No Kid Hungry for a lunch briefing to educate members and their staff on the importance of expanding Pandemic EBT and SNAP. He also joined us for a virtual event with Axios in June, which raised critical awareness and more than $70,000 for No Kid Hungry!
The Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club adapted its program to become a meal hub for kids on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation.
A well-rounded meal from the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club
In upstate New York, the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club shifted from providing multifaceted afterschool programming to becoming a meals hub for kids on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. Though local school districts were offering weekday meals, schools were not able to provide meals on the weekends. That’s where the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club came in. With the help of a new stove funded by No Kid Hungry New York, the team was able to make and send home 26,000 weekend meals during the spring and summer, which surpassed the number of meals that the Club served throughout the entire year in 2019.
Island Harvest Food Bank and Freeport Public Schools teamed up to make sure kids had food for the whole week.
On Long Island, Island Harvest Food Bank teamed up with school districts across Nassau and Suffolk counties to provide meal packages for kids and families at school meal distribution sites. School nutrition staff distributed grab-and-go school meals alongside Island Harvest volunteers who passed out food boxes, making it convenient for families to pick up food for the entire week. Providing weekend meals also helps boost participation in school meal programs – a win-win for the school district and for kids struggling with hunger.
Chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero saw a high need in the Lower East Side and launched an innovative pilot program to help meet it.
When the coronavirus temporarily shuttered their New York City-based restaurant El Quinto Pino, chefs and co-owners Alex Raij and Eder Montero wanted to find a meaningful way to keep feeding their community. Recognizing skyrocketing hunger in the Lower East Side, the duo partnered with Henry Street Settlement to launch a new food access pilot, which provided fresh prepared meals for more than 100 food-insecure families over the course of three weeks.
Foodlink used food trucks to serve meals to kids in underserved neighborhoods.
Thank you to Foodlink staff for tirelessly preparing meals for kids!
When the coronavirus-related shutdowns hit Rochester in early March, Foodlink knew that they needed to pivot their programming to provide meals to their ten-county service area. With support from No Kid Hungry New York, Foodlink began mobile meal distribution routes in underserved neighborhoods. The mobile delivery routes served 850 meals per day, ensuring that kids in Rochester had access to the food they needed while school buildings were closed.
Sherman Central School District kept kids fed across their 100-square-mile district by using school buses to deliver meals.
Cafeteria staff from Sherman Central School District send a heartfelt message to kids and families.
Sherman Central School District is a rural district in the western part of New York. Soon after the school closure order, the district began delivering meals directly to students to ensure that all students stayed nourished. By June, the district was serving over 2,700 meals per week across a service area of more than 100 square miles. Says Superintendent Michael Ginestre, “Every day I get someone saying thank-you. [The parents] have been super appreciative because it’s been something they don’t have to worry about with all the other worries and things going on.”