“Today, the pandemic may be waning, but the problems it revealed – like child hunger – are still very much a reality for thousands of New York families. In fact, earlier this year No Kid Hungry found that nearly two-thirds of New Yorkers are finding it harder to afford groceries for their families than before the pandemic, and 1 in 3 have been forced to skip a meal because they couldn’t afford food.”
“Over the last two and a half years, we have experienced tremendous loss and seen how the inequities in our society have harmed others. In order to make the world a better place for the next generation, we need to tap into our strengths and the strengths of our partners to make substantive change.” – Rachel Sabella
“Throughout the pandemic, public schools have been a place where families can go and pick up meals. Where kids have access to three meals a day. […] It’s a place where families can go and know there’s support available to help them through these challenging times” – Rachel Sabella
“No Kid Hungry and School in the Square teamed up for a special food pantry program where families could pick up turkeys and groceries. […] As many as 1 in 4 children in New York City experience food insecurity all the time. And that number is even higher in largely Black or Hispanic areas, like Washington Heights.”
“Earlier this year, No Kid Hungry awarded a $15,000 grant to Friends of School in the Square, which helps fund a pantry in Upper Manhattan for free groceries.
Since April 2020, the program has provided over 8,000 bags of essential goods, serving over 2,000 families and community members within the Washington Heights and Inwood areas.”
“Organizations like School in the Square that help put food on New Yorkers’ tables are so important–not just at holiday time, but year-round,” said Stephanie Wu Winter, Senior Program Manager for No Kid Hungry New York. “School in the Square has done amazing work responding not only to the needs of their school community, but to the needs of the broader community. They’re ensuring that kids across the neighborhood get the nutritious meals they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
“When the kids get that lunch and they say thank you, and they’re excited to eat it, you get that joy inside,” said Baker. “You want to come back tomorrow and prepare them something else.”
“Even if I take a day off, I’ll be thinking about, wonder if my kids eat today, if they get the proper meal,” Baker said. “It’s a lot going through the mind. So to make myself happy, I’m here. If I’m here they’re going to eat.”
“Kids couldn’t learn in class without cooks like Ms. Baker serving free, healthy lunches every single day,” said Rachel Sabella, Director of No Kid Hungry New York on Wednesday. “This National School Lunch Week, we’re honoring the everyday heroes across New York City public schools who provide the consistent nutrition kids need to learn, grow and achieve their dreams.”
“National School Lunch Week runs October 10-14, and all of us at No Kid Hungry New York want to thank the dedicated staff in Irvington schools and all those along the Hudson Valley who provide the consistent nutrition kids need to learn, grow and achieve their dreams.”
“Thanks to leadership on Capitol Hill and in the White House, we have the opportunity to end hunger by 2030.
Not just reduce it. Not just fight it. End it.”
“Beyond ensuring your kids can get their school meals, the forms may qualify your family for additional benefits like discounted exam fees and college applications, extracurriculars, scholarship opportunities, and even home WiFi.”
“We know many kids struggle with hunger at home, and getting them a healthy breakfast and lunch ensures they can thrive in and out of the classroom. But because federal rules have switched back to the pre-pandemic status quo, families and caregivers in many districts will have to submit an application to qualify for free or reduced price meals.”
“So as you’re checking things off your back to school to-do list, be sure to fill out the school meal application. After all, nutritious school meals are as important to students’ learning as notebooks and pencils.”
“Hundreds of thousands of kids who depend on school meals will re-enter New York classrooms in a few short weeks, and we are deeply worried that families won’t learn about this new requirement until after school resumes,” No Kid Hungry New York Director Rachel Sabella said in a statement Thursday.
“For some families, they haven’t filled it out in a few years,” explained Sabella. “For other families, their circumstances may have changed because of the pandemic, and we want to make sure they know this benefit is available, but they have to be able to fill out the form in order to get it.”
“We must make sure families fill out these applications for free or reduced-price meals ASAP so their children will not go hungry this September.”
“This year, No Kid Hungry New York and the NYC Department of Education has rolled out revamped mobile trucks to ensure that they can reach more kids and customers, especially as summer draws to a close.”
“Summer is the hungriest time of year for kids in New York, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Rachel Sabella, Director of No Kid Hungry New York. “We’re proud to sponsor these mobile food trucks and partner with NYC DOE to reach more kids this summer.”
“What we saw is families, caregivers who lost their jobs, almost over night. We also found that maybe some of them went back to work but they found themselves underemployed, and what they can move in their budget, they can’t move rent, they can’t move electricity or transportation, but it’s the food budget they have been able to cut,” said Rachel Sabella, No Kid Hungry New York Director.
“This year, No Kid Hungry New York and the NYC Department of Education rolled out revamped mobile food trucks this summer to reach more kids across the city with free summer meals. By bringing meals into the communities where kids live and play, the food trucks are making it easier for families to access free meals right in their neighborhoods, particularly critical in August when many summer meal sites have traditionally seen participation drop off.”
“Summer is the hungriest time of year for kids in New York – but it doesn’t have to be,” Rachel Sabella, No Kid Hungry New York’s director, said in a statement. “Free summer meals are a lifeline to families and kids.”
“Summer is the hungriest time of year for many kids. With 1 in 5 kids facing hunger across New York State, No Kid Hungry is alerting all families that free summer meals for kids are just a text away.”
“No Kid Hungry New York, is urging parents and providers to take advantage of this resource as it will help families financially while also helping to feed children 18 and younger. No registration or documentations are required to receive a free meal.”
“Despite people assuming that the pandemic is ending, we’ve been saying this all along, that the hunger crisis is going to be with us a long time,” said Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry.
“We value the school districts, frontline organizations and their staff providing these essential meals to support struggling families,” said Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry New York. “We’re proud to partner with these school districts and organizations and support their programs so that all New York kids are fueled to succeed. As we continue to see rising prices in all basic necessities, we have to rush more help so families aren’t facing hunger at home.”
“Heading into this summer, No Kid Hungry, which Hudock said provides grants to help further district operations, awarded the Maine-Endwell Central School District over $4,000 to purchase food holding cabinets.”
“No Kid Hungry knows the school districts play an essential role in getting food to children,” Miles said. “What they’ve done is create a flexible grant that allows our school district to respond to the needs coming out of COVID, including all the students going back to school full-time. So, they’re providing the money to allow us to provide different opportunities and make changes as we need to, so we can get meals to all the students, and whatever may come.”
“We’re proud to partner with these school districts and organizations and support their programs so that all New York kids are fueled to succeed,” Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry New York, said in news release. “As we continue to see rising prices in all basic necessities, we have to rush more help so families aren’t facing hunger at home.”
“The anti-poverty group Share Our Strength estimates that 1 out of 5 summer meal sites open last year won’t be open this summer. That means “it could jeopardize access to summer meals for nearly 7 million children across the country,” according to Rachel Sabella, director of Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry New York program.”
“We refer to summer as the hungriest time of the year,” said Rachel Sabella, of No Kid Hungry New York, the New York division of a national campaign that aims to solve hunger in the United States. “For many families, they may not have a summer meals site close to them, where they can access those free meals. Some food pantries and soup kitchens that are normally open in the summer rely on volunteers. If the volunteers are not available, their services are not available.”