Happy holidays from No Kid Hungry Ohio! 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 Ohio. From Cleveland to Cincinnati 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 Ohio Grants
In 2024, No Kid Hungry Ohio granted over $120,000 to 12 schools and 2 community organizations. These grant dollars helped to launch Breakfast After the Bell in new school districts, expand rural non-congregate summer meals, and connect more children to the nutrition they need to thrive. To read more about our grantees’ innovative approaches to improving food security, check out stories on our blog.
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, millions of dollars in Summer EBT benefits reached over a million children across Ohio, helping ease the burden of high grocery bills. No Kid Hungry Ohio 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 Ohio. This summer, 44 sponsors served rural non-congregate meals across nearly 300 site locations, helping children and families access summer meals more easily. This is an increase of 67% since summer 2023! No Kid Hungry Ohio supports summer meals sponsors through technical assistance, grant funds, and best practices research. You can read more about some of our summer success stories 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 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!