Contact: Johanna Elsemore at 202.478.6554 or jelsemore@strength.org
Washington, D.C. - Innovation is sorely needed to end childhood hunger, according to a new report from No Kid Hungry. The Hunger Innovation Report, released today, examines attitudes toward innovation and documents bold ideas from across the country that are working to connect more kids with healthy meals.
Through a national survey, No Kid Hungry heard from nearly 200 food banks, school districts, local governments and private companies. It found innovation is working across all nutrition programs – from school breakfast to summer meals, SNAP, WIC, food pantries and nutrition education. But 87% of respondents agreed, more innovation is needed to end childhood hunger. Innovation is as critical to progress in the nonprofit sector as it is in business and medicine.
Leaders and entrepreneurs across the country are getting closer to making No Kid Hungry a reality. By employing human-centered design, tapping into technology and adopting mainstream models from other sectors, these experts are scaling successful programs and finding ways to reach kids and families where they are.
The report illustrates this work through twelve detailed case studies:
- A drive-through pantry in Fargo, North Dakota
- Cafeterias designed by students in San Francisco, California
- Breakfast on the bus in Brethren, Michigan
- A non-profit grocery store in Dorchester, Massachusetts
- A pop-up restaurant for summer meals in Emporia, Kansas
- A virtual food bank in Longwood, Florida
- An app for SNAP from a start-up in Brooklyn, New York
- A rural grocery store with no workers in New Prague, Minnesota
- SNAP in schools in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- A texting service for WIC outreach piloted in Colorado
- Culinary training for refugees turned full service restaurant in Brooklyn, New York
- A YMCA on wheels in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania
“What this survey taught us is that innovators don’t have to start from scratch,” said Kirsten Craft, No Kid Hungry’s senior manager for program innovation. “Successful models exist all around the country that can be built on and adapted to meet the needs of every community. What’s important is that we’re all willing to learn from one another”
In America today, 1 in 7 kids is living in a family that struggles with hunger – but it doesn’t have to be this way. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger by identifying barriers that prevent kids from consistently getting the food they need and finding ways to eliminate them.
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 7 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org