There are already too many barriers to connecting kids with school meals, including higher food costs, supply chain issues, and family concerns about eligibility. This spring, No Kid Hungry removed language as a barrier to school programs wishing to access funding resources when it launched the No Kid Hungry School Nutrition Grant Application in Spanish. This milestone is testament to our commitment to increase inclusivity, strengthen equity practices, and actively center the communities we work alongside. For 40 years, Share Our Strength, the parent organization of No Kid Hungry, has provided hundreds of millions of grant support to schools and community organizations fighting child hunger and poverty.
“The application in Spanish is a way to demonstrate our commitment towards breaking language barriers and serves as a fundamental step in deepening relationships with school districts in primarily Spanish-speaking communities,” said Cruselva Pena, Program Manager for No Kid Hungry Texas.
The No Kid Hungry School Nutrition Grants provide funding to school districts to maximize participation in their meals programs to ensure all children have access to the healthy nutrition they need to thrive. The School Nutrition Grant Application in Spanish is available in the No Kid Hungry Partner and Grantee Portal and offers Spanish-speaking communities the opportunity to access and submit grant applications in their preferred language, as well as complete reporting in Spanish.
Community interest in the new Spanish-language application has been enthusiastic and immediate, especially among partner schools. Within hours after its launch, Rio Hondo ISD submitted the first grant application to the new grants program. Located in the Texas-Mexico border, 96% of the district’s students identify as Hispanic. School staff shared why it is effective to be able to convey the needs of their school nutrition program and grant requests in Spanish. “It is very important to have resources in Spanish because in our community there are people who do not speak English and need support on how to guide their children so they can have a better future. Having all the information in Spanish ensures people are not limited to accomplish all their goals” said Rocio Madrigal, Director of Food Services for Rio Hondo ISD.
The launch of the School Nutrition Grant Application in Spanish not only ensures a more accessible and responsive granting process for schools in Texas, it will set the stage for a more inclusive No Kid Hungry granting program nationwide. No Kid Hungry is keen on using the insights and successes from the Lone Star State Spanish-language granting program to pave the way for grantmaking processes in multiple languages across the country.