No Kid Hungry Louisiana Grants $160,000 to Combat Summer Hunger in Rural Communities Across the State
8/30/2024
No Kid Hungry Louisiana recently announced $160,000 in grants to help ten organizations across the state reach even more kids with summer meals. In a recent No Kid Hungry survey of rural families, parents reported on the unique hardships they faced during the summer when school is out. More than half of rural families say they don’t have enough money for food during the summer. Over 80% spend more on groceries when their children are out of school for the summer - an average of $168 more each month. Rural families are also impacted harder by barriers such as transportation, fuel costs, extreme weather, and parent’s work schedule due to the distance from the closest meal site.
The following school districts and community organizations received grants in Louisiana:
Avoyelles Parish School Board
Bossier Parish Schools
Campti Community Development Center
The Diocese of Baton Rouge Child Nutrition Program
The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Inc.
Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank
Pointe Coupee Parish School Board
St. Landry Parish School Board
Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana
No Kid Hungry Louisiana has also made seven grants totaling over $106,000 in support of school breakfast programs in the last half of the 2023-24 school year. The recipients of those grants include:
Caddo Public Parish Schools (which received two separate grants)
The Einstein Group, Inc.
NOLA Public Schools
St. Martin Parish
Terrebonne Parish School District
Zachary Community School District
This upcoming school year, No Kid Hungry will continue to offer technical assistance to help schools increase breakfast participation. Their support will include the creation and implementation of alternative breakfast models to ensure all students have access to a nutritious start to their day.