No Kid Hungry Grant

Geographic Scope: National initiative including Nebraska

Focus Areas:

• Decreasing food insecurity in children under age 6
• Supporting early childhood organizations, child care centers, healthcare providers, and community organizations

Program Details

No Kid Hungry invests $3 million in grants to organizations focused on early childhood to help decrease food insecurity among children under the age of six. The grants serve more than 120 early child care centers, healthcare providers, and community organizations working with an estimated 170,000 children under age five across 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Example Implementation (Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative)

NECC partnered with Hy-Vee to:

• Supply groceries and grocery delivery through the weekend to food-insecure families
• Hold classes teaching families meal planning and shopping list writing to encourage healthy habits

Background

Problem Statement: Food insecurity in the early years can have immediate and lasting impact on overall health, learning, school readiness, and behavior. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue:

• At one point during the past year, 40% of parents of kids under six reported job or income loss
• More than one in five parents reported food insecurity in their household
• Early childhood is the most intensive period of brain and body development

About No Kid Hungry: Works to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 6 kids could face hunger.