Local nonprofits in the Bay Area are tackling hunger in low-income neighborhoods by stocking corner stores and "community fridges" around town with free healthy meals.

The HOPE Collaborative in Oakland has received a $5,500 grant to help with this effort, from the Health, Environment, Agriculture and Labor Food Alliance - known as HEAL.

Elizabeth Esparza - interim project director at HOPE Collaborative - said people think that hunger needs went down as the pandemic has eased, but that isn't the case.

"There were a lot of increased supports in 2020," said Esparza. "And a lot of those started to drop off before the end of 2020 when the pandemic was at its worst. And so, that need is still there."

HOPE Collaborative has teamed up with nonprofits Cocina del Corazon and Third Eye Soul Kitchen to stock community fridges placed around town and launched the Community Food Distribution Project with their Healthy Corner Store partners in March.

Navina Khanna, executive director of the HEAL Food Alliance, said the group is awarding $52,000 in rapid-response grants to food justice organizations that work with communities of color.

"We were seeing that to go through a whole funding process is often very, very cumbersome," said Khanna, "in terms of an application and reporting requirements, and things like that. And that, by creating a pool of funds and getting that out to our communities, our communities could do what they need to do."

The grants are designed to be flexible and can be used for many things - including repairs to a broken fridge, transportation, food and more. They have benefited eight grassroots, BIPOC-led organizations across the country.

Food assistance is integral for families - but it's also important that the food available makes sense culturally.

The American Heart Association has partnered with food banks and pantries across Washington state to ensure they're able to provide culturally relevant meals. One of those organizations is Restoration Community Impact, based in the Tri-Cities.

Marlando Sparks and his wife Stephanie founded the organization. Along with delivering food boxes, Sparks said his wife created the Restoration market where people can come in and select food.

"She and our team services probably over 150 families every day," said Sparks, "and these families are Hispanic, these families are Russian, these families are Arabic, these families are Somali. They come from all different walks of life."

Sparks said Restoration Community Impact delivers more than 3,600 culturally relevant food boxes to the region as well.

His organization also works with people outside of food services, including victims of domestic violence and people re-entering society from correctional and substance-abuse facilities.

Cherish Hart - vice president for community impact with the American Heart Association Puget Sound - said people of color suffer from disproportionately high rates of food insecurity in the U.S, including in Washington.

She said providing culturally relevant food can help break through some of these inequities.

"People want food that is really responsive to their needs, and they want things that they know how to cook and to use," said Hart, "not just a random bag of food that may not be sustainable for their family."

Stephanie Sparks said people in the community are grateful for the services her organization provides.

"We shed tears daily with people just hugging us," she said, "and just giving people hope and just trying to be a blessing to others and letting them know that we're all in this together and there are people who truly care."

School nutrition providers told Ohio lawmakers this week they're tired of hounding parents for school lunch money when their child's account accrues debt.

Each week, said Daryn Guarino, director of food and nutrition at the Alexander Local School District, he reminds around 250 families that have begun to accumulate lunch debt. That's more than one-third of the school's population.

"I'm not trying to be a debt collector," he said. "I need to not hit the hard stop, because at that point, I'm going to have to look at this child and tell them they can't eat today. And it's heartwrenching to see it. And it's even worse to know that it's coming."

According to the group Hunger Free Schools Ohio, it would cost the state less than $2 per child per day to provide free meals to all students in the state. One in six children - and as many as one in four in some counties - live in households that face hunger.

COVID-era federal policies provided universal free meals to kids. Guarino said the end of those polices, combined with inflation and rising living costs, have forced more families to leave their kids' school lunch accounts in the red.

"It causes so much stress among our staff that, a lot of the times, they'll start reaching into their own pockets," he said.

The Children's Defense Fund reported that school lunch debt has more than doubled this year from pre-pandemic levels.

Better health and educational outcomes are being touted as Arkansans recognize March as School Breakfast Month.

Research has proven providing students breakfast at school can lead to better attendance, fewer trips to the school nurse, and improved classroom attention and behavior. One in five children faces hunger in Arkansas.

Patti Barker, campaign director for the No Kid Hungry Campaign at the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, said breakfast is still the most important meal of the day, especially for at-risk students. Barker noted the alliance has partnered for a decade with other advocacy groups who want to improve options for kids.

"Our goal is to make sure kids have access to the good nutrition they need every day all year round, whether they're in school or out of school or at home," Barker explained. "The best way to access that good nutrition at school is to make sure those kids or eating both school breakfast and lunch. "

Barker pointed out the USDA's School Breakfast Program also plays a role in ensuring all Arkansas students are healthy, active, and ready to learn every day, helping them thrive.

Vivian Nicholson, breakfast program director for the No Kid Hungry Campaign is encouraging school districts to sign up for the "DIG IN-to School Breakfast" challenge, which includes increasing kids' participation in school breakfast and creating the most innovative breakfast promotion using social media.

"[A] third category is new innovative breakfast items, new items that engage kids to come and eat breakfast," Nicholson outlined. "We use examples of smoothies or yogurt parfait, Apple nachos, and sliced apples with yogurt and granola on top."

Nicholson added they will collect recipes and participating school districts will have a chance to win prizes ranging from $500 to $1,500. She added there are also grants programs in place to provide breakfast throughout the school day to kids who need it, not just in the cafeteria before the bell rings.


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