No Kid Hungry Announces 2026 Summer Hunger Heroes

Washington, DC — No Kid Hungry is pleased to announce the honorees for the 2026 Summer Hunger Heroes. This annual celebration of those who go above and beyond in efforts to end childhood hunger shines a light on extraordinary individuals and agencies from across the nation. This year’s list of heroes includes ten honorees from nine states—a diverse array of celebrants, but all united in their commitment to ending childhood hunger during the summer months, and throughout the year.

Summer is well known as the hungriest season of the year for children, as that is when free and reduced-price school meals disappear for the summer break. This means kids miss out on a consistent source of nutrition, and families’ already tight budgets are stretched even further. Summer programs like Summer EBT, also known as SUN Bucks, and Summer Meals can provide a true lifeline for families by filling the nutritional gap for children during the break. The 2026 Summer Hunger Heroes’ work focuses on these programs.

“These Summer Hunger Heroes exemplify the work of No Kid Hungry,” said Eleni Towns, managing director of No Kid Hungry. “They are out and about in the community doing what we work and advocate for. But they take it to the next level. They go above and beyond and it’s the kids that benefit. It’s always about the kids.” 

Cacyce Davis, Director of Child Nutrition for the  Elmore County Board of Education, in 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. Few sponsors in Alabama are operating rural non-congregate programs and Davis 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 for  Scottsdale Unified School District, in 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 to families in the community. 

James Lesley, Assistant Director for  Support & Compliance, for  Aurora Public Schools, in Aurora, Colorado

Aurora Public Schools Nutrition department, led by James Lesley, has gone above and beyond to ensure an incredibly 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 for  Brantley County Schools, in 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. Harris and his team are dedicated to meeting the need and reducing barriers to access by bringing meals directly to the people who need it.

 Jennifer Wheeler, Nutrition Director for  Marion County Public Schools, in 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. Wheeler’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.

Representative Michael Hale,  District 40, Tennessee and   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.

Kasandra Davis, Director of Child Nutrition for  Brenham Independent School District, in Brenham, Texas

Kasandra Davis devised a summer meals 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."

Christy Lawson, Director of Operations for  Giles County Public Schools, in 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. 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, Cheyenne, Wyoming

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.

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.