Con las cafeterías escolares cerradas durante el verano, grupos comunitarios y organizaciones sin fines de lucro están trabajando para garantizar que uno de cada cinco niños de Colorado que se queda sin comida porque su familia no puede permitirse comprar alimentos, aún pueda acceder a comidas nutritivas.

Kristen Collins, del Colorado Food Cluster, dice que debido a que las familias rurales tienen que viajar distancias más largas para llegar a los sitios de comidas de verano en persona, su grupo ahora está entregando cajas de comida directamente a los hogares.

"La caja incluye siete días de desayuno y siete días de almuerzo. Todas esas comidas se conservan en despensas, por lo que obtendrán paquetes de atún, paquetes de ensalada de pollo, Goldfish y jugos," enfatizó Collins.

Collins explica que espera servir comidas a 1.800 niños de bajos ingresos en 20 condados rurales este año. El año pasado, el Congreso eximió a las zonas rurales de las normas que exigen que las comidas de verano se consuman en un lugar específico, y ahora también hay opciones "para llevar" disponibles fuera de las zonas metropolitanas.

Para encontrar una comida de verano cerca de usted, visite el sitio web KidsFoodFinder.org. También puede enviar un mensaje de texto con la palabra "Food" o "Comida" al 304-304.

Los centros recreativos comunitarios, bibliotecas, iglesias y otros sitios participantes en todo el estado también sirven desayuno, almuerzo, meriendas y cena gratis a los jóvenes de Colorado durante todo el verano. Justice Onwordi de Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger indica que cualquier persona menor de 18 años puede compartir una comida con amigos.

"No tienes que estar inscrito en ninguna escuela, no tienes que estar inscrito en ningún tipo de programa federal o estatal. Es para todos, y ni siquiera necesitas una tarjeta de identificación ni nada por el estilo. Puedes simplemente presentarte en uno de los sitios," enfatizó además Onwordi.

Todas las ubicaciones deben cumplir con las pautas federales de nutrición. Muchos ofrecen actividades divertidas para niños y adolescentes, diseñadas para ejercitar la mente y el cuerpo, para ayudar a garantizar que los niños estén sanos y listos para aprender cuando regresen a la escuela en el otoño.

Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing similar issues.

The advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed's Food Access Community Advocates Cohort educates people over nine months how to build advocacy, community organizing and storytelling skills, so they are better equipped to understand policies affecting the state's most food insecure people.

Megan Hamann, senior community organizer of food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed, said having experienced hunger puts them in a better position to understand and talk about policy issues affecting hungry people in Nebraska.

"They have this lived experience that is really useful, I think, when it comes to making sure that our decision-makers know the impact of the policies they are considering," Hamann explained.

Nebraska Appleseed will start taking applications for new program participants Friday.

Hamann pointed out the number of food insecure people in Nebraska is greater now than it was during the pandemic, when demand at food banks was already high.

"I think with the passage of the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, we are looking forward to a period of time where that need is going to reach new extremes," Hamann projected.

This will be the fourth year of the cohort program. Many past participants have taken leadership roles in their communities and are now leading local efforts to educate others about the best ways to address food insecurity.


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It has been about three weeks since the Rowena Fire in Oregon's Columbia Gorge was put out, and the local food bank remains vital to recovery efforts.

The fire burned 3,600 acres in Wasco County, destroying 56 homes and 100 other structures.

Breen Goodwin, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, said they are always prepared to assist during disasters with ready-to-eat emergency food boxes and water. She added many displaced families are living with relatives, in hotels, or camping and remain uncertain about their next steps.

"It is difficult in a community of our size to absorb housing needs for that many families who have lost homes," Goodwin acknowledged. "That next step of the recovery process of truly: 'How are those families being supported with more long term recovery efforts?'"

Breen pointed out the food bank has been serving as a distribution site to hand out supplies from Adventist Health of the Columbia Gorge and other organizations who donated nonfood items, including air purifiers, generators, hygiene supplies and stuffed animals for kids.

One of the biggest challenges, Breen noted, is keeping a supply of drinking water flowing once people start to return home.

"We're able to drop full pallets of water directly into the impacted communities because most of the time the drinking water is no longer safe until enough testing has been done," Breen explained.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Breen emphasized the number of people visiting the food bank rose to about 6,500 per month during the pandemic and has remained at that level. People can visit OregonFoodFinder.org to find pantry locations in their area.

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


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