Summer is a time of celebrations, and at No Kid Hungry, we celebrate the amazing work of those who go above and beyond to ensure that no kid goes hungry over the summer break!
Our Summer Hunger Heroes work throughout the year, striving to make sure that the children in their communities have access to nutritious food all summer long—turning what used to be the hungriest season of the year for kids into a time of sun and fun for kids, just like it’s supposed to be.
The Summer Hunger Heroes of 2026 have focused their efforts in two specific areas of summer hunger relief: Summer EBT, also known as SUN Bucks, and rural non-congregate summer meals. Both programs have made remarkable inroads at cutting the child hunger numbers over the last few years. Summer EBT provides families with $120 in grocery benefits for each eligible school child, giving access to nutritious food during the period of time that school meals are on summer break. Rural non-congregate summer meals ensure that rural families have ready access to summer meals by removing the barriers faced with traditional meal programs.
So, who are these 2026 Summer Hunger Heroes? They come from across the nation and represent a diverse array of backgrounds. But all are united in their commitment to ending child hunger during the summer months…and throughout the year.
Cacyce Davis, Director of Child Nutrition, Elmore County Board of Education, Wetumpka, Alabama
Cacyce Davis has been leading the way for bulk meals and has gotten both school districts and the state agency on board for this model. She did bulk meal distribution during the pandemic and took those learnings and applied them when non-congregate became a permanent option. Few sponsors in Alabama are operating rural non-congregate and Cayce has spent a lot of time sharing her model, her methods, and her expertise with other Alabama school districts. As a result, 10 school districts in Alabama are implementing bulk meal curbside distribution and are anticipating to serve an additional 750,000 meals this summer.
Patti Bilbrey, Director of Nutrition Services, Scottsdale Unified School District, Scottsdale, Arizona
When School Nutrition Director Patti Bilbrey saw the opportunity to bring a non-congregate summer meals program to the Scottsdale area, she joined forces with Scottsdale Community College and together, they forged a flexible program that allowed families to get up to a weeks’ worth of ready to eat, frozen or shelf-stable food for their children. All told, Scottsdale Unified District was able to serve 135,000 meals.
 Cacyce Davis, Director of Child Nutrition for the Elmore County Board of Education, in Wetumpka, Alabama |  Patti Bilbrey, Director of Nutrition Services for Scottsdale Unified School District, in Scottsdale, Arizona |
James Lesley, Assistant Director, Support & Compliance, Aurora Public Schools, Aurora Colorado
Aurora Public Schools Nutrition department, led by James Lesley, has gone above and beyond to ensure a high return (83%) on their Community Eligibility Form, which is directly tied to deeming children’s eligibility for Summer EBT benefits. They have many staff who speak both English and Spanish and utilize a live language line to ensure accessibility to non-English speaking and ESL families. Despite being majority urban, Aurora has operated rural non-congregate sites to the maximum extent in eligible areas, breaking down barriers to access in their community.
Dr. Christopher Harris, School Nutrition Director, Brantley County Schools, Nahunta, Georgia
Dr. Christopher Harris and his school nutrition team have stepped up to support access to meals in their community, which was recently impacted by the horrific Highway 82 fires. By expanding mobile routes for rural non-congregate meals, they will better serve households who have been displaced by the recent natural disaster. Christopher and his team are dedicated to meeting the need and reducing barriers to access by bringing meals directly to the people who need it.
 James Lesley, Assistant Director for Support & Compliance, for Aurora Public Schools, in Aurora Colorado |  Dr. Christopher Harris, School Nutrition Director for Brantley County Schools, in Nahunta, Georgia |
Jennifer Wheeler, Nutrition Director, Marion County Public Schools, Lebanon, Kentucky
Jennifer Wheeler has been a big sponsor of rural non-congregate summer meals in Marion County, KY, serving over 122,000 meals to families last year. She goes the extra mile to serve families who don’t have access to transportation or might fear attending an in-person site. Jennifer’s also been key to expanding Summer EBT outreach in the county, ensuring that all kids have access to summer nutrition, regardless of where they live.
Kasandra Davis, Director of Child Nutrition, Brenham Independent School District, Brenham, Texas
Kasandra Davis has charted an aggressive and supportive path to assist local households this summer. Kasandra devised a distribution schedule that covers the entirety of the summer vacation, bridging the nutritional gap perfectly until the new school year starts in August. To fully accommodate working parents, she has scheduled morning and evening pickup windows. A key differentiator of this program is its universal accessibility. Davis strongly emphasized that the summer bundles are available to all children in the community aged 18 and under, completely free of charge, with absolutely no district enrollment restrictions. "These do not have to be Brenham ISD students," Davis clarified directly. "They can attend a private school, they can attend a home school. We’re just trying to feed the children here."
 Jennifer Wheeler, Nutrition Director for Marion County Public Schools, in Lebanon, Kentucky |  Kasandra Davis, Director of Child Nutrition for Brenham Independent School District, in Brenham, Texas |
Representative Michael Hale, District 40, Tennessee & Senator Paul Bailey, District 15, Tennessee
Representative Hale and Senator Bailey were instrumental in Tennessee’s return to the SUN Bucks program for summer 2027. The legislators led the fight to bring the nutrition program back to the state’s children by co-sponsoring the bill before the General Assembly. Ultimately, the $7 million state investment will provide critical summer nutrition for over 700,000 eligible children, unlocking over $84 million in federal drawdown for Tennessee families.
 Representative Michael Hale District 40, Tennessee |
Senator Paul Bailey District 15, Tennessee |
Christy Lawson, Director of Operations, Giles County Public Schools, Pearisburg, Virginia
Understanding the challenges families face in a rural community, Christy Lawson led the creation of a home delivery meals program that brings food directly to children, removing common transportation and access barriers. She mobilized an incredible network of volunteers, with dozens of community members stepping up to pack and prepare hundreds of meal bags at a time. This collaborative approach has allowed the program to grow and reach more children than ever before. Through her leadership, the program now serves hundreds of students and has delivered well over 100,000 meals in a single summer, ensuring children continue to receive the nutrition they depend on during the school year.
The Wyoming Department of Family Services
Providing Wyoming families with $120 in grocery benefits per child over the summer break will go a long way toward ensuring that their nutritional needs are met in the absence of school meals. The Wyoming Department of Family Services has stepped up to roll out the state’s inaugural year of the SUN Bucks program, making sure that families receive their benefits in a timely and efficient manner so that there is no interruption in nutrition needs for kids. They are also leveraging strong state partnerships to support, with the Department of Education providing key data and school and community partners sharing information with families.
 Christy Lawson, Director of Operations for Giles County Public Schools, in Pearisburg, Virginia |  |
No Kid Hungry celebrates these heroes for their efforts to turn the tide on child hunger, to ensure families have reliable access to nutrition throughout the year, and to make summer a season where kids can simply focus on being kids.
