Laying the Groundwork for Happy, Hunger Free Kids In Baltimore

Posted by Michael McKenna on Tuesday, April 19, 2011

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school meals “What’s this about?” a little third grader asked me when they stopped by the Share Our Strength table at the Montebello Elementary Health Fair in Baltimore, sponsored by the University of Maryland. She was pointing at a No Kid Hungry poster board that many of her classmates had already signed [see picture]. My colleague Anna Mudd and I were visiting the elementary school to promote free summer meals in Baltimore to a student population, over 90% of whom qualify for free and reduced-price school lunch. Anna and I told them that everyone who takes the pledge wants to make sure that “every kid in Maryland, every kid in Baltimore, every kid at Montebello has enough good food to eat all year round.” The students loved orange strength.org bracelets and were excited to learn that they could get free meals this summer.

We were happy to tell the kids that the Maryland Department of Education manages a mapping tool on their website that allows individuals to search for summer meals sites in their neighborhoods. Fortunately, Montebello served as a meals site for two months last summer. There are at least ten other churches, community centers, and schools within a ten minute drive that are open for various amounts of time this summer. Kids can drop-in anytime without qualifying or pre-registering. Outside of Maryland, nine of our other state and city-based campaigns are promoting greater participation in summer meals and many of those are using innovative mapping tools to help connect households with summer meals sites.

In addition to sharing summer meals outreach materials with the kids, we connected with the teachers at Montebello as well. In a comment that echoed the voices of the teachers featured in our teachers report, one sixth grade teacher remarked to me that she dreaded snow days because she knew of at least two of her students that go hungry when school is closed. She suspected that they struggled during the summer as well and promised to tell all the parents during report card meetings.

school meals Watching the kids wait in line for the Moon Bounce that was set up in their gym for the Health Fair and laughing as the littlest ones sung every word to a Justin Beiber song, I couldn’t help but think that that snapshot was what our work at Share Our Strength is really all about. In 2015, kids from coast to coast are well-nourished in body and mind, running around like all-star athletes and singing along like divas. In essence, kids being kids - because hunger is a thing of the past for them and the next generation.

Strong turnout in summer 2011 at summer meals sites across the country is the next step towards that end goal. Stay tuned for ways you can help connect kids to meals this summer on the No Kid Hungry action center.

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