Earlier this month, we joined 15 culinary industry colleagues in New Orleans to witness No Kid Hungry’s work in action. While our site visits were focused on New Orleans, we left with a strong understanding of the impact No Kid Hungry has on a national scale.
We all remember how ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans. What we didn’t know was that Share Our Strength not only mobilized its national network to raise funds to address immediate needs, but also pledged to stay for the long term.
No Kid Hungry’s work in New Orleans focuses on three key areas: school breakfast, summer meals, and nutrition education. In New Orleans, 1 in 4 kids struggles with hunger, a fact that applies to many communities across the country – including our home state of New York.
As a group, we had the opportunity to visit schools where breakfast participation exceeds the national average. New Orleans has one of the highest percentages of kids eating school breakfast in the country. It was immediately evident that these kids, who don’t always know where their next meal is coming from, relied on these meals in the morning to be ready to learn. We also visited schools that in addition to breakfast, provided meals before the end of the school day.
We’re in the culinary industry, so we’re constantly surrounded by food; it’s hard for us to imagine not knowing where our next meals will come from. But what we saw in New Orleans changed our understanding of hunger in America and what individuals can do to make a difference. On the trip, we met chefs who host fundraising dinners in their restaurants, restaurateurs who lead Taste of the Nation events, and peers who participate in advocacy – all to benefit No Kid Hungry’s goals of ending childhood hunger in the US. In our role as culinary co-chairs of Night Out for No Kid Hungry, we helped to raise $1.6 million on Tuesday, which can help connect kids to 16 million meals.
Childhood hunger is a solvable problem. We urge our fellow members of the culinary community to do what they can to help make childhood hunger history.
Trip Participants
Karen Akunowicz, Myers+Chang, Boston, MA
Timon Balloo, SUGARCANE raw bar grill, Miami, FL
Eric Gabrynowicz, Restaurant North / Market North, Armonk, NY
Chad Gauss, The Food Market, Baltimore, MD
Joshua Henderson, Huxley Wallace Collective, Seattle, WA
Anita Lo, Annisa, New York City, NY
Rebecca Masson, Fluff Bake Bar, Houston, TX
Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple and Smoked & Stacked, Washington, DC
Julie Novak, The Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland, OH
Kwame Onwuachi, The Shaw Bijou, Washington, DC
Ryan Pera, Agricole Hospitality, Houston, TX
Michael Paley, South Congress Hotel, Austin, TX
Eamon Rockey, Betony, New York City, NY
Sarah Simmons, Birds & Bubbles, NYC, and Rise Bake Shop, Columbia SC
Arlin Smith, Big Tree Hospitality, Portland, ME
