The coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on families throughout the country. In Utah, school closures mean that the over 226,000 kids who rely on school meals are at risk for going without the food they’ve depended on during the school year.
When their communities needed them more than ever, schools, food banks, pantries, and community organizations all across the state stepped up in incredible ways. Because of them, kids throughout Utah have remained nourished during the crisis.
These frontline hunger heroes – school nutrition and transportation professionals, community leaders, administrators, teachers, and volunteers – have done everything they can to ensure that kids continue to have access to meals. They’ve worked tirelessly, often for longer shifts and without days off. They’ve also found creative ways to get meals to kids, providing curb-side meal pick-up, and delivering sack lunches directly to kids’ homes. These hunger heroes have shown tremendous dedication over the past weeks, all while juggling mounting stress and uncertainty.
Given the extraordinary need that families are experiencing, we urge our legislators to prioritize food access for vulnerable families and their children. No Kid Hungry has developed a new resource – Supporting school, communities, and Nutrition Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommended State Policy Actions – that list options available to state policymakers to unlock the potential of federal and state food nutrition programs and ensure that families and children have the support they need. Since the pandemic began, No Kid Hungry Utah has provided over $140,000 in emergency grants to support the work our hunger heroes are doing across the state. This month, we want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
- In Springville, your support is helping Merit College Preparatory Academy deliver meals to families who cannot get to a grab-n-go location, ensuring students get the food they need while schools are closed.
- Dixie Montessori Academy is using a No Kid Hungry grant to support breakfast and lunch for students while schools are closed.
- In Bicknell, Utah, a No Kid Hungry grant is helping Wayne School District deliver sack lunches to students, a vital resource in this small, rural community where many parents have lost jobs as a result of the crisis.
- When schools closed in Salt Lake City, Guadalupe Center Educational Programs Inc. stepped up to make sure kids continue to get the meals they need. With your support, they’re serving an estimated 300 meals a day.
These are just a few of many hunger heroes across Utah. Throughout May, we’ll be celebrating and lifting up the amazing work that’s been happening across the state by:
- Sharing stories all month long on our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
- Highlighting the work of partners, grantees, and folks on the ground on our blog
JOIN US
We know you have hunger heroes in your community you want to thank too. You can:
- Celebrate your local hunger heroes on social media. To make posting as easy as possible, our team put together this toolkit. Be sure to include #ThankAHungerHero and tag us so we can lift up what you’re sharing!
- On Wednesday, May 27, No Kid Hungry, and our state campaigns are coming together for a moment of gratitude. We’ll be thanking hunger heroes all across the country. You can join in by engaging when we thank heroes from Utah. We’ll be posting across No Kid Hungry’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook in the lead-up to the big day, so be sure to follow along.
No Kid Hungry couldn’t be more grateful for each and every one of these individuals and organizations and for all of the hunger heroes on the front lines. Let’s come together to shower them with much-deserved gratitude and appreciation.