Hunger is an issue that touches the lives of people all around us. Whether it’s the single mother struggling to feed her family of four while simultaneously making ends meet or a person living in rural America who has to drive 50 miles to the closest grocery store, hunger affects us all.
That is why I am calling upon all community leaders who have committed themselves to ending this struggle to apply to the “White House Champions of Change: Alleviating Hunger at Home and Abroad” program. The purpose of this program is to recognize individuals who are using innovative community-based approaches to reduce hunger and ensure that people have access to enough food both in the United States and internationally.
Some examples of a champion’s work include:
- Organizing a community-based emergency food delivery network.
- Reaching food insecure families and individuals via outreach around federal nutrition assistance programs (such as SNAP, WIC, or school meals).
- Supplying food to underserved populations through a community garden, farmers market, or other local food project.
- Running a summer or after-school meal program for kids or helping to support that program with activities, transportation, outreach, or healthy meals.
- Implementing community-based strategies to increasing access to healthy, affordable food for underserved populations.
- Running a nutrition education program for low-income citizens to stretch the food dollar and heighten awareness of the connection between diet and health.
- Expanding access to and quality of school feeding programs.
- Researching innovative solutions to challenges that limit farmer productivity.
- Increasing agricultural productivity, especially with small landholder farmers internationally.
- Improving nutrition for mothers and children, especially during the critical 1,000 days from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.
If you know folks in your community that fit this description, I urge you to nominate them. The struggle to end hunger is great, but thanks to these committed individuals, progress is being made.
Please submit your nominations by midnight on Friday, June 29th through this form.