Even though school is in session, conversations about keeping kids’ bellies full during the summer are still a top priority at No Kid Hungry. This is because summer is the hungriest time of year for millions of kids across America, and we are committed to continuously improving the ways we keep kids fed year-round. One in five kids in this country lives with hunger, and our country's summer meals programs have the potential to reach 30 million kids when they need support most.
For the past three years, No Kid Hungry has hosted a Summer Nutrition Summit to facilitate collaboration between national, state and local agencies, anti-hunger organizations, parents and those with lived experiences.
This past January, we held the Summit in Washington, D.C., where we gathered nearly 500 attendees from 46 states and D.C., 4 US territories and 3 tribes together. During our time together, participants shared innovations and best practices for the implementation of important summer nutrition programs for kids, including rural grab-and-go summer meals and Summer EBT grocery benefits. The Summit was free for all participants, with travel and lodging stipends provided for many attendees.
The Summit not only provides access to critical tools and practices for increasing summer meals access for kids, it also exemplifies a key ingredient in Share Our Strength’s recipe for ending childhood hunger: bringing together people and organizations who are passionate about keeping kids fed. Share Our Strength believes that everyone has a strength to share to help end childhood hunger. This is why we create spaces like the Summer Nutrition Summit that facilitate strength-sharing and move us together toward a No Kid Hungry nation.
Chloe Green, the assistant director of policy at APHSA, a key partner for increasing family access to Summer EBT, explained how the Summit offers valuable opportunities for state agencies and community organizations to share their work and experiences with each other. We partnered with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) to co-host and design the summit’s Summer EBT sessions.
“At the end of the day, you have this room of dozens and dozens of states from across the country and all of these people who are taking time out of their weekends and traveling for the sole purpose of being able to feed kids,” Green explained.
The Summit provided dynamic opportunities for collaboration among nutrition service providers.
For example, Kayte Partch from Nebraska’s Department of Education said getting to hear from parents participating in summer feeding programs motivated her for the next summer and gave her a direct understanding of the strategies that are and aren’t working for families.
“Every time I come here, I'm like, ‘Oh, I'm ready to gear up for this season again,’” Partch said. “It's hard, it's relentless, right? But it's so, so good. The hardest things are the most rewarding and this Summit prepares me to do that.”
Theo Gibbs works for Code for America, a partner focused on harnessing technology to break down barriers that can keep families from accessing nutrition programs like SNAP. She shared that the Summit was a key touch point where partners could discuss the technology products and programs that will be implemented this summer, so more families can get Summer EBT benefits.
“In this year's summit, we are meeting with our DC and Colorado partners in person and having some working sessions to hash out some of the details around what we're doing next, what is the communication strategy going to be, what is our product roadmap going to be for launching ahead of summer 2026,” Gibbs said.
Having parents at the table has been one of the most important elements since we started the Summer Summit. Their voices give us insight into how the programs look and work on the ground. Beyond their lived experience, they bring so much talent and wisdom to share with program providers, state agencies and funders.
(Joelanis, a parent from NY, shared her experience getting to the Summit.)
Parents opened the Summit by sharing their experiences and how summer nutrition programs are helping them during difficult times. Parents were active participants in the Summit sessions and contributed valuable insights and recommendations for ensuring that summer nutrition programs help their kids.
Christopher Thorton, a dad of three boys from Kansas City, said when he unexpectedly lost his job, the summer meals benefit came at a pivotal moment: “It gave me great solace and comfort in knowing when my life hit a hurdle, there was help. It was an invaluable benefit to have when I was trying to get a new job and keep things on track for our family.”
Da’Jion Lymore, another parent participant, used his background in media and marketing during group breakouts, sharing his insights on how to better reach parents with access to nutrition services for their children with nutrition professionals.
(Da’Jion Lymore)
Whether they worked at a state agency, organized a summer meals program, picked up summer meals for their kids or received summer grocery benefits, every Summit participant contributed valuable experience and expertise that helps us fulfill our mission. Once again, the Summer Nutrition Summit proved that our most effective solutions are found through collaboration.
No Kid Hungry will continue to use our convening power to create and share summer feeding strategies so fewer kids have empty bellies when school’s out for the summer.
Kids shouldn’t have to question where their next meal is coming from this summer.
