Ensuring No Child Goes Hungry Is Going To Take All Of Us

Anne Kenealy and Rebecca Rice, Share Our Strength staff

As daunting as the past year has been, we learned once again how in the face of uncertainty, a friendly face, familiar routine, and people coming together can get us through the worst—even when the end still seems so distant. With support from Students Rebuild and young activists across the globe, the No Kid Hungry campaign is supporting schools and community groups to serve free meals, empowering Youth Ambassadors to serve their communities, and partnering with Akshaya Patra Foundation to combat childhood hunger in India. Together, we can ensure vulnerable kids get the food they need to learn and grow even in this tough time.

No single group of people exemplifies this lesson better than the frontline meal providers who work in our nation’s schools. These brave and resilient individuals keep meals stocked and ready at school, as well as bus stops, grab-n-go lines and delivered to front doors. No Kid Hungry is proud to provide grants and guidance to help them succeed.

California’s Rialto Unified School District, one of our partners and grantees, exemplifies the unwavering commitment that nutrition staff across the country have towards feeding kids. As head of child nutrition for California’s Rialto Unified School District, Fausat Rahman-Davies was committed to ensuring her students had access to healthy meals despite the challenges of the pandemic.

Fausat Rahman-Davies, Head of Child Nutrition, Rialto Unified School District, California

With support from No Kid Hungry, she was able to launch grab-n-go sites for families to pick up free meals. “People were walking from almost three miles away to get to us,” she said. “One mother did that, her two-year-old in a stroller, seven-year-old son walking next to her, and bag in hand to carry the meals. She told me, ‘I need this food. My kids haven’t eaten breakfast.’” They were able to serve 14.2 million meals to their students last year.

That struggle is far from over for so many families across the country. With help from Students Rebuild and the young people involved, No Kid Hungry will continue to give schools and local partners the resources, tools and training to feed kids. As Rialto’s Rahman-Davies said, “Ensuring no child goes hungry is going to take all of us.” You can learn more about the work in Rialto in this inspiring mini-documentary.