RELEASE: No Kid Hungry Honors 10 National Summer Hunger Heroes For Outstanding Commitment to Children’s Summer Hunger Relief

Contact:  Laura Rice, lrice@strength.org

Washington, DC - No Kid Hungry today announced ten national Summer Hunger Heroes. This year’s honorees hail from nine states and the United States Department of Agriculture and have shown outstanding commitment to summer hunger relief through their work to expand summer meals in rural communities and get the new Summer EBT (also known as Sun Bucks) program underway.

Summer has traditionally been the hungriest time of year for kids, as regular school meals are not available. Thanks to hard fought policy wins, this year promises to be different. New and monumental changes to summer meal rules offer flexible options like multi-day meal distribution and deliveries that reach kids in more remote areas of the state. And for the first time this summer, Summer EBT will mean $120 in grocery benefits for each eligible child. 

“These summer programs offer nutrition for kids and real economic relief for families, and they’re only possible because of people who have committed their careers to this work,” said Eleni Towns, director, No Kid Hungry State Campaigns. “They’re the real heroes, doing the work, day after day, of ending hunger by connecting kids to food—whether it be delivering  summer meals to their rural community or ensuring Summer EBT is available for kids in their state. They’re the face of No Kid Hungry.”

The No Kid Hungry 2024 Summer Hunger Heroes are:

Jody Buckle, the Director of Food and Nutrition for the Humboldt Unified School District in Prescott Valley, Arizona, is very attentive to the community's needs and adapts to ensure student's needs are met in a way that supports families. The results speak for themselves, with nearly 95,000 non-congregate meals served last summer and plans to expand this year! 

Amanda West, the Child Nutrition Director for Monticello School District in Monticello, Arkansas, is President of the Arkansas School Nutrition Association and has been a critical support to Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance’s Summer EBT outreach to school districts. Amanda lives by her personal code of supporting those in her community who are most in need, and works daily to support kids struggling with hunger, because, as she always says, “one hungry child is one too many!”

Melissa “Mel” Hill, the Programs Manager at Second Harvest of the Big Bend in Tallahassee, Florida, is a former elementary school teacher who understands the challenge food insecurity can be for children during the summer. Mel's positive attitude is contagious and her organizational skills and ability to engage new community partners who also have a passion for serving children have put Second Harvest of the Big Bend on track to serve over 65,000 meals this summer which is over a 400% increase from the previous summer.

Cathy Gallagher, the Program Manager for the Kentucky Summer Food Service Program at the Kentucky Department of Education, is being recognized for her work as a summer meals champion, having helped roll out non-congregate summer meals in a big way last summer with over 80 sponsors.  Cathy and her team have created a culture of "yes" for Kentucky summer sponsors and the positive ripple effects are felt across the Commonwealth.

Donna Riviello, the Director of Food Services for the Clyde-Savannah Central School District, in New York, used No Kid Hungry grant funding for a successful home delivery summer meals program for her community last summer. She has spent this year gearing up for another amazing season, while also serving as an advocate for non-congregate meals, helping other programs prepare for success.

Justine Roberts, the Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Performing Arts and Science Academy in Marion, South Carolina, has made sure her programs for student academics and enrichment always include a focus on nutrition and her Summer Break Café helps ensure that the community’s kids stay nourished and healthy all summer long. If there is anything she can do to help a child, she will go the extra mile.

Constance Moore, the Senior Food Compliance Officer of the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid South in Cordova, Tennessee, is operating non-congregate summer meal programs in eight rural counties this year, in locations as diverse as a shopping mall, a healthcare center, and a corrections facility. Constance designs her programs around the needs of her community, implementing options like Saturday meal distributions, when families are off work.

Randy Herman, the School Nutrition Director for Louisa County Public Schools in Virginia is a longtime partner of No Kid Hungry Virginia. As a result of Randy's leadership, Louisa County has nearly quadrupled the size of their summer meals operation over the last few years, growing from 8,000 meals served in summer 2019 to 30,000 meals served last summer.

Eric Savaiano, the Economic Justice Program Manager for Food and Nutrition Access of Nebraska Appleseed, was an integral part of the reason Nebraska is offering Summer EBT at all this year, after the state’s governor initially opted out of the program. Eric and his team worked tirelessly to put together a petition with over 6,500 signatures, secure media coverage and worked relentlessly with partners to leverage support for the program..

Anne Fiala and Whitney Peters of the United States Department of Agriculture led the Summer EBT team in drafting the Interim Final Rule that is guiding states on implementing Summer EBT and providing important state-by-state support to help ensure the program runs smoothly and as many eligible kids as possible are reached.

No Kid Hungry salutes these heroes and all those who work tirelessly to keep our children nourished and healthy over the summer and throughout the year.