No Kid Hungry New York 2022 End of Year Highlights
In 2022, New Yorkers across the state rose to the task of building back their communities and ensuring that every child has the food they need to grow and thrive. No Kid Hungry New York is celebrating the achievements of the past year, from honoring hunger heroes to amplifying lived expert voices to building community with partners. Check out some of our favorite moments from 2022!
Not All Superheros Wear Capes, Some Wear Chef Hats and Apron
In March of 2020, No Kid Hungry New York joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Education Chancellor David Banks to honor staff members from the Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS) as Hunger Heroes. Since March 2020, this team has served more than 100 million meals to NYC students and community members. In October 2022, we were able to recognize Hunger Heroes like Valrie Baker, who has been feeding kids in New York City Schools for over 25 years and takes immense pride in how her work impacts these students.
Helping to Close the Summer Nutrition Gap in the Southern Tier
Kids need nutritious food to fuel summer fun and return to school in the fall ready to learn. But sometimes, when schools close for the summer, their meal programs shut down too. In this Spectrum News 1 piece, see how the Maine-Endwell Central School District used a grant from No Kid Hungry to deliver free healthy meals to children throughout their community, including at a popular park, all summer long.
Advocating for New York Kids at the Federal Level
For the first time in over 50 years, the White House held a conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in September 2022. This conference brought together key partners to produce a national strategy to end child hunger by 2030 and identified several key commitments that will play a critical role to achieve this ambitious goal. In addition to outlining how child hunger can be eliminated in New York, No Kid Hungry New York nominated Jackie Bogart, the community empowerment coordinator with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, to participate in the conference as part of a cohort of lived experts from across the country. To read more of Jackie’s reflections on the conference, check out our full blog.
School in the Square Ensures Families Fill Their Pantry
This past Thanksgiving season, No Kid Hungry New York got to spend a few hours with School in the Square! The team distributed nearly 4 tons of food to more than 200 families to help them get ready for Thanksgiving dinner in addition to receiving their produce and pantry staples. During 2022, rising inflation has put significant strain on family grocery budgets. Subsequently, it has further highlighted the impact that partnerships between schools and community organizations can make for families to ensure they have access to nutritious ingredients to fill the gap. This year, No Kid Hungry New York was thrilled to award a grant for School in the Square’s Friends of School in the Square program to fund a pantry that provides free groceries to students’ families in the Washington Heights and Inwood communities.
Clymer Central School District Boosts School Breakfast Participation Through Engagement, Creativity and Art
After battling so many obstacles through the pandemic, a return to in-person school attendance brought energy to the Clymer Central School District nutrition team, but also renewed the challenge of how to get more students to eat school breakfast. Sue Watrous, Cook Manager/Head Chef, knew that kids do better in class when they start the day off with a healthy breakfast, however she recognized that far too many children across the state are missing this important meal. Learn how Sue and her team increased participation in their district’s school breakfast program by sparking creativity and involving students.