Author: Kelsey Gross
Not all superheroes wear capes. In fact, most of our superheroes wear aprons. School food service staff and community Summer Youth Café and Afterschool Meals sponsors are our heroes on the front lines, ensuring that all kids have the nutritious food they need to play, learn, and grow.
This fall, we are introducing the Child Hunger Hero Award Program which highlights the incredible work of both schools and community sponsors who go above and beyond to bring meals to kids.
Starting September 1st, school districts and community sponsors can apply for the award using a short application. The application evaluates their participation in various child nutrition programs including the Summer Food Service Program, Child and Adult Food Care Program, weekend backpacks, school pantries and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.
Our food service heroes know investing in child nutrition has a huge payoff. Child nutrition programs help kids form healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. School meals can lead to better attendance, test scores and classroom behavior. Summer programs, like those often paired with the Summer Food Service Program, can help minimize or prevent summer learning loss, and summer meals can help combat childhood obesity and summer weight gain. Afterschool programs help working parents keep their jobs by giving them peace of mind that their kids are in a safe environment that supports learning, social & emotional development, workforce skills and balanced nutrition.
We encourage any school district or community sponsor in our 11-county service area to apply for the Child Hunger Hero Award. The application will be open September 1st- November 1st and takes just 10 minutes to complete. To apply, visit our webpage at pittsburghfoodbank.org/hero. Winners will be announced in January and will receive fun prizes and local recognition for their awesome work.
