Childhood hunger continues to be a challenge in America. Today, 1 in 5 kids in the US lives with hunger and this number includes thousands of babies and toddlers who are zero to five years old. Improper nutrition can have lasting consequences for kids during this crucial window of development.
"Kids are vulnerable, they're sensitive. You want to create a good environment to help them thrive. Just to say that they're resilient is not okay," explained Dr. Koffi Essel, an experienced community pediatrician, talking about kids in the earliest years of their lives.
For this reason, at No Kid Hungry, we have made supporting babies and toddlers a priority. Our Early Childhood Grant Program is a testament to our belief in the power of community.
Launched in 2020, this program was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It aimed to bridge the gap in food resources for young children not yet enrolled in school. We worked with over 100 organizations connecting kids and families to over 2 million meals.
In 2023, our focus shifted from emergency funding to sustainable and innovative strategies. We supported 25 grantees helping serve almost 500,000 meals. These grantees worked across early childhood, healthcare and federal benefits systems, employing diverse strategies like food insecurity screening, nutrition counseling and community gardens.
Behind these numbers, there are the stories of thousands of kids and families that were impacted by the organizational work happening nationwide. Like the story of a 31-year old mother who migrated from Nepal, she had a 3-year-old son and was also pregnant. When she arrived at our grantee’s office, Wellness First in Columbus, she presented with health issues related to malnutrition that put her pregnancy at risk. Thanks to the support of a Nepali community liaison, the mother was able to enroll in federal programs like WIC and SNAP.
With the support from this program, the mom recovered and today her kids are healthy and happy.
The majority of grant funding was used on programs prioritizing and serving communities of color, 16% focused on serving immigrant and refugee families and 20% rural communities.
With your support, we are committed to continue working to ensure all kids, including infants, toddlers and babies, have access to food programs they need during those crucial first years of their lives.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ways You Can Help:
Donate: 1 dollar can help provide 10 meals* for kids. Your support will help us fund meal programs all over the country and help us advocate for policies that will help kids get the meals they need" *Donations help support programs that feed kids; No Kid Hungry does not provide individual meals. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/OneDollar
Speak up for kids: 1 in 5 kids in the United States is affected by hunger. Tell your lawmaker to protect SNAP and other federal nutrition programs that feed kids.
