Nearly four years into her role as CEO of Share Our Strength, Anne Filipic remains optimistic about what's possible. We sat down with Anne to talk about the No Kid Hungry community, the unique role chefs play in our work, and why she believes this moment calls for even greater ambition.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
After nearly four years as CEO, what continues to inspire you about the No Kid Hungry community?
The breadth and depth of this community. People come from different backgrounds, careers, and life experiences, but they're united by the simple belief that no child should go hungry.
This is a community of doers. People don't just want to care about the issue. They want to use their unique strengths to make a real difference. Billy Shore often says hunger is a solvable problem, and I've been struck by how many people point to that idea as the reason they stay involved. It's an incredibly hopeful place to be.
You've spent the last four years meeting chefs, donors, educators, volunteers, and families around the country. Is there one conversation that has stayed with you?
A few weeks ago, I met a woman named Olivia who helps deliver summer meals in rural Georgia. She talked about the families she serves and called the meals "blessings for our babies." It was impossible not to be moved by her passion.
What struck me was that Olivia already had so much of what’s to serve her community. She had the commitment, the relationships, and the heart for the work. Our job is to remove the barriers that make her work harder. Sometimes that means advocating for policies that allow meal delivery.
Sometimes it means helping provide a refrigerated truck so she can reach more families. Whatever form it takes, our work is about making it easier for people like Olivia to do what they already do so well. That conversation reminded me exactly why we're here.
The culinary community has been at the heart of No Kid Hungry from the very beginning. What is it about chefs that makes them such powerful advocates?
I think chefs understand something all of us know intuitively: food is about so much more than what's on the plate. It's community, comfort, hope, and opportunity. Our work isn't simply about making sure kids have enough to eat. It's about making sure they have the chance to pursue their dreams.
I also think chefs occupy a fascinating space. They're artists and visionaries, but they're also pragmatists. They can imagine something extraordinary, but at the end of the day they still have to get dinner on the table. That combination of creativity and practicality feels very familiar to me because it's how we approach our work too. We have to think boldly while staying grounded in what will actually make life better for kids and families.
Food has a way of carrying memories with it. Is there a meal you've had recently that you can't stop thinking about?
The funny thing is, when I think about food memories, it's rarely the fanciest meal I've ever had. It's my mom's pork chops with cream of mushroom soup. I'm from Ohio, and that meal takes me back to sitting around our family dinner table.
More recently, we celebrated our Brazilian au pair’s birthday at Fogo de Chão who has been a generous supporter of our work for many years. The food was incredible, but what made the evening memorable was seeing her enjoy something that felt familiar while she was so far from home. It reminded me that food doesn't just nourish us, it helps us feel connected.
As you think about the future of No Kid Hungry, what gives you the most hope?
Families are facing enormous challenges right now. Too many parents are making impossible choices between buying groceries, paying rent, or keeping the lights on.
What gives me hope is that Share Our Strength has spent forty years learning what works. We've built incredible partnerships, we've learned from hard-fought victories, and we've become stronger because of them.
This isn't the moment to rest on what we've accomplished. It's the moment to ask what more we can do. I truly believe we're ready to meet this moment and create even greater impact for kids and families.
What would you say to chefs who have supported No Kid Hungry for years, and those considering getting involved for the first time?
The culinary community has never simply supported No Kid Hungry. It helped build this movement.
One thing I've learned over the last four years is that people rarely get involved in a cause because someone asks them to. They get involved because someone they admire genuinely cares. Passion is contagious, and chefs have an incredible ability to inspire people through both what they create and what they stand for.
So whether you've been with us since the beginning or you're just discovering this work, don't underestimate what you bring to the table. Every one of us has something unique to contribute, and chefs have a remarkable ability to bring others into the movement. Every conversation, every dinner, every fundraiser, every introduction has the potential to spark something bigger.
Ending childhood hunger won't happen because of one organization. It will happen because thousands of people decide to share their strengths. That's exactly what the culinary community has been doing for decades, and it's why I'm so optimistic about what comes next.
Lightning Round
Coffee or tea? Coffee. I aspire to be a tea person, but I'm definitely a coffee person
Early bird or night owl? Naturally a night owl, but my three young kids have turned me into an early bird
Comfort food? My mom's cooking
Favorite cookbook or food writer? Katie Workman
A city you could happily eat your way through again and again? New York
Sweet or savory? Savory
One word you hope people associate with No Kid Hungry five years from now? Ambitious doers
