Josh Kelley Helps Fight Childhood Hunger
This summer, Josh Kelley is lending his voice to support the ConAgra Foods Foundation’s Hunger-Free Summer program with Feeding America. Kelley is hitting the road visiting food banks across the country to raise awareness of childhood hunger in the United States, and volunteering at food banks that earned a Hunger-Free Summer grants for their innovative, community-based programs.
The reality is that millions of children in the United States aren’t always certain where their next meal will come from. During the school year, 21 million children can count on having lunch each weekday thanks to the United States Department of Agriculture’s free and reduced-priced school lunch program available to low-income families. But when school lets out for summer, the vast majority of those children are more likely to face hunger if they don’t have access to summer meal programs.
“Summer is supposed to be a care-free time for children and families. As a dad, I believe it’s unacceptable that there are millions of children who can’t enjoy their summer break because hunger is holding them back,” said Kelley. “So this summer, I’ll be volunteering at Feeding America network food banks across the summer so that more kids can have the meals they need to have a bright summer and an even brighter future when they return to school.”
The Hunger-Free Summer program aims to provide more meals to these children so that while school may be out for the summer, lunch is always in session. Twenty-three food banks in 20 states received grants from Feeding America thanks to $5 million in funding ConAgra Foods Foundation is providing over five years to establish and increase the reach of Feeding America’s summer meal program.
Kelley kicked off this year’s Hunger-Free Summer initiative on Thursday, June 2, with the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., where he volunteered his time by serving lunch and singing with children at a local Boys & Girls Club. In coming weeks, Kelley will also be visiting summer meal programs hosted by food banks based in Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; Pennsauken, N.J., outside of Philadelphia; and Omaha, Neb.
To learn more about the program, visit HungerFreeSummerTour.org.
