We’re grinning from ear to ear seeing how kids benefit from having yummy, nutritious meals all year round. To show you what inspires us to end childhood hunger, we wanted to share some stories that made kids, families and us smile in 2025. Please know that your support has made a lasting difference in a kid’s life every day this year – we wouldn’t be able to share these smiles without you.
More Fuel for Summer Fun
When kids come home and many schools close for the summer, more of a family’s budget goes towards groceries. This can make summer the hungriest time of year for many kids and families. But with your support, No Kid Hungry has been able to provide grab-and-go summer meals so more kids are ready to take on the summer.
Kristal, a mom of three, loves the meals provided through Smithville’s summer feeding program. Not only does she cut her grocery bill down by half every two weeks – from $600 to $300 – her kids are also fueled for their favorite activities.
Her son Javon is a dedicated football player who dreams of playing for the NFL one day. The nutritious summer meals provided by your donations boost his energy so he can become the best player he can be.
Javon shared, “When I eat the summer meals, it helps me with getting faster, getting stronger, and helping me with a lot of stuff.”
Caroline County is 4x More Full
Caroline County is a close-knit community where neighbors are always looking after each other. However, the community experiences several barriers that leave many kids and families vulnerable to hunger, including a lack of transportation and economic opportunities. Their school district has become a model for school meals programs across the nation in response to filling the community’s nutrition gaps.
No Kid Hungry helps support various school feeding programs in the county – including their breakfast in the classroom, after-school backpack program and summer grab-and-go meals. In the summer months alone, the community went from serving an average of 30,000 meals to 108,000 meals, which dramatically increased kids’ nourishment and wellbeing.
Beth Brewster, the Food Service Supervisor, said the boots-on-the-ground services in Caroline County would be impossible without the support from donors like you.
“No Kid Hungry has been a great partner for our breakfast in the classroom,” she said. “[They have] provided us with materials to be able to get the information out, the packaging so that we can get it to the classroom safely within the correct temperatures to make sure we don't have foodborne illness, and racks to actually deliver it to the classrooms.”
Chef Appreciation at No Kid Hungry
At No Kid Hungry, we believe everybody plays an important role in ending childhood hunger. For years, chefs have been some of our biggest supporters. They know the importance of food and have always been generous when fundraising and advocating for kids.
Chef Sam Fore believes sharing a meal is one of the best ways to get to know someone. Because feeding people is close to her heart, supporting No Kid Hungry is a natural fit in her life: “No Kid Hungry does real, visible work, and that makes it easy to support,” she said. “It’s not just a good cause—it’s critically important to our future.”
This summer, Chef Fore went to Washington D.C. for Chef Advocacy Day to learn how chefs’ voices matter in communities and in politics alike. Thanks to training and professional networking resources provided by No Kid Hungry, she said the experience was deeply impactful.
“No Kid Hungry’s support of the culinary community—and how that community shows up in return—is something really special,” she explained. “Every chef I’ve seen work with No Kid Hungry would run through a wall for them because of how they’re treated and valued. That matters.”
Supporting Young Moms’ Career Aspirations
The New Moms program in Chicago provides professional development, academic support, and social networks to young mothers so they can build careers while caring for their family. No Kid Hungry supports New Moms because we believe that when single mothers have the proper resources and support, their children will get the meals they need to thrive.
Tatiana Bolton recently completed the 16-week New Moms program and gained management experience with Bright Endeavors, a small business run by New Moms that produces artisanal scented candles. She also received coaching to access childcare, financial assistance, professional attire, and enrollment support for her CNA certification program.
“I want to be able to give him everything he ever wants in life,” Tatiana said about her son, Josiah. “I want him to experience everything and tell his story.”
Smiles for Miles
Learning about the difference we make in kids’ lives from the kids themselves makes us smile the most.
Randy, a kindergartener in Federalsburg, Maryland, loves math, hide-and-seek and caring for animals. School breakfast helps her stay energized: “If I didn't eat, I wouldn't have much energy. Breakfast and lunch make me strong for recess.”
Giovanni, a third grader in Smithville, Texas, shared his gratitude: “[The people who donate are] very good people... They spend their money so we can live and eat. So I would thank them a lot for it.”
Keep it up!
Making transformative change in communities across the United States requires unwavering support. Your contributions have made a difference for millions of kids in 2025. Though 2026 will present challenges, let us go into the new year with the same commitment to ending childhood hunger for good.
