World Food Program USA Grants $100,000 to No Kid Hungry to Feed Children Impacted by the Pandemic
WASHINGTON, DC (February 8, 2021) — Given a shared commitment to making sure children have enough to eat, World Food Program USA has granted $100,000 to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign in support of its national efforts to feed children in the United States who are impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. New estimates show that due to the pandemic 1 in 4 American children could be living in hunger. That’s nearly double the pre-pandemic rate.
“World Food Program USA firmly believes that no child, no matter where they live, should go hungry. We are facing unprecedented times, which require all of us to work together to support those most in need,” said Barron Segar, president and CEO, World Food Program USA. “The U.N. World Food Programme has long provided school meals and nutrition support to children in many of the world’s most fragile countries, where people are making less than $2 a day. We recognize that there are many people suffering from food insecurity here in the United States as well, and we support the efforts of U.S. charities to help the most vulnerable in our own communities. We are proud to support No Kid Hungry’s mission to ensure children get the daily meals and nutrition they need at this critical time.”
Outside of the United States, 370 million school children globally – including 12 million that rely on the U.N. World Food Programme – have missed out on school meals due to school closures during the pandemic. To date, we have provided take home rations to nearly 7 million children in 45 countries during the pandemic. In some countries, we are also providing cash or vouchers to school children’s families. In the world’s most fragile countries, school meals are often the only meal children eat each day.
“With record numbers of jobs and wages lost, millions more kids in America are struggling with hunger now than before the pandemic began,” said Share Our Strength President and CEO Tom Nelson. “World Food Program USA and Share Our Strength have a shared commitment to helping kids and families rise out of hunger, and we’re honored to partner with them to help more kids get the food they need to thrive.”
# # #
About World Food Program USA
The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
World Food Program USA, a 501©(3) organization based in Washington, DC, proudly supports the mission of the United Nations World Food Programme by mobilizing American policymakers, businesses and individuals to advance the global movement to end hunger. Our leadership and support help to bolster an enduring American legacy of feeding families in need around the world. To learn more about World Food Program USA’s mission, please visit wfpusa.org/about-us.
About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.
Media Contact: Toula Athas, World Food Program USA, 202-627-3940, tathas@wfpusa.org
