Happy Holidays: No Kid Hungry Virginia’s Year in Review
Happy holidays from No Kid Hungry Virginia! As we reflect on 2024, we celebrate the progress we’ve made in the fight to end childhood hunger across the Commonwealth. From Abingdon to York, school nutrition professionals, community partners, and supporters have come together to ensure children have the food they need to thrive. Join us in revisiting some of our proudest moments and key milestones from this year.
No Kid Hungry Virginia Grants
In 2024, No Kid Hungry Virginia awarded nearly $466,000 in grants to 21 school divisions and two community organizations. These funds supported the creation and expansion of sustainable meal programs, helping to increase school breakfast participation and improve access to rural non-congregate summer meals.
Supporting the Launch of SUN Bucks
Summer is often known to be the hungriest time of year; while students should be excited for sunshine and playtime, they often lose the stability of school meals. Summer 2023 marked the start of the SUN Bucks program (also known as Summer EBT), a new program which provides seasonal grocery support to families of children and teens eligible for free school meals. This summer, $84 million in SUN Bucks reached 703,000 children across Virginia, helping ease the burden of high grocery bills. No Kid Hungry Virginia has advocated for SUN Bucks for years, and has worked hard to spread the word about the program, so that eligible families are aware and able to participate.
Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meal Expansion
Summer meals haven’t always reached all children facing food insecurity. One of the greatest barriers to summer meal participation, especially in rural areas, is transportation. If parents work during the day, children may be unable to get to locations where meals are served. Non-congregate models, like grab-and-go pick-up or delivery, allow children to eat at home and provide families with much-needed flexibility.
Summer 2024 marked the second year rural non-congregate models were available to summer meal sponsors in Virginia. This summer, Virginia reached 21 new counties with non-congregate meal service, bringing the total to 49 counties—an impressive 75% increase over 2023. These efforts newly reached over 160,000 students eligible for free school meals, helping children and families access summer nutrition more easily. No Kid Hungry Virginia supports summer meal sponsors through technical assistance, grant funding, community outreach, and best practice research.
No Kid Hungry Virginia In the News
One of the most important steps to ending childhood hunger is raising awareness. This year, we’re deeply grateful to the reporters who helped shine a light on food insecurity in Virginia. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite stories, which not only highlight the challenges families face but also the critical work being done by school districts, community organizations, and partners to ensure children have access to three meals a day, 365 days a year.
School Breakfast
Breakfast: Essential for Learning
“Research from No Kid Hungry indicates that Breakfast After the Bell can significantly increase breakfast participation among students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch by up to 88%.”
Steely: School breakfasts play a vital role in academics
“Studies have demonstrated that school meal programs play an important role in supporting obesity prevention, overall student health, and academic achievement.”
“Incredible Growth:” No Kid Hungry Virginia Applauds Momentum as 25,000 More Students Eat Breakfast at School
“Over the past year, 25,000 additional students in Virginia started eating breakfast at school. This remarkable growth underscores the power of programs like Breakfast After the Bell in breaking down barriers to access and ensuring children start their day ready to learn.”
Summer Meals
How summer meal programs are reaching more kids in rural communities
“In Henry County, teams served 58,000 meals in June 2023 compared to 22,107 meals at traditional summer meal sites the year before.”
Free meals for kids: A look into Virginia’s summer feeding programs
“Summer feeding programs are a critical lifeline for families struggling with food insecurity, ensuring children have access to nutritious meals even when school is out.”
Virginia Hunger Survey
78% of Virginians Struggle to Afford Groceries Amid Rising Costs
“When budgets are stretched thin, healthy meals are often the first thing that families sacrifice. Choosing between nourishing yourself and your family and meeting your basic needs is an agonizing choice no one in Virginia—or anywhere in the country—should have to make.”
Commentary: Too many families can’t afford groceries. We can fix that.
“In Virginia, more than 1 million people, including 300,000 children, are facing food insecurity.”
Louisa County Public Schools on the Today Show!
How No Kid Hungry is helping provide schools a healthy breakfast
See No Kid Hungry Virginia’s Director, Sarah Steely, on the Today Show as she highlights the benefits of Breakfast in the Classroom and showcases the incredible efforts of Louisa County Public Schools’ nutrition team.
To read more and explore additional stories and media coverage, check out our blog for the latest updates and links.
Finally, we want to acknowledge that the job is far from over, and this important work will continue in 2024. To our partners, policymakers, community organizations, school nutrition professionals, state agencies, and all who contribute: thank you for your commitment to ending childhood hunger. None of this work would be possible without your tireless efforts to ensure every child has the food they need to build a brighter, more hopeful future. Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season, and we’ll be ready to work together again in 2025.
