On Monday, June 24, No Kid Hungry 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.”
One of the 2024 Summer Hunger Heroes is Amanda West, the child nutrition director for Monticello School District. She 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. She is a person of action who always says “yes” when asked to support efforts across the state to enhance child nutrition programs and policy. Most importantly, West 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!”
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.
