Children's Hunger Alliance releases Impact Report detailing food insecurity for children in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio,  /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Children's Hunger Alliance (CHA), a non-profit dedicated to ending childhood hunger, released an Impact Report highlighting innovative programs created to combat food insecurity issues impacting children throughout Ohio. Supported by funding from the Walmart Foundation, CHA has utilized $3.5 million over the past three years to improve access to healthy meals for at-risk youth.

In Ohio, one in five children are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Poor nutrition at an early age is linked to lasting health problems, learning challenges, delayed cognitive development and an increased risk of obesity. With increased funding from the foundation, CHA has expanded its efforts and worked to develop sustainable solutions including mobile meal services in rural regions, personalized school breakfast programs and healthy eating curriculums in daycare centers.

"The Walmart Foundation has been a crucial partner in our daily fight against childhood hunger," said Judy Mobley, President and CEO of Children's Hunger Alliance. "As we continue to identify specific obstacles in providing proper nutrition within our schools and childcare programs, the resources available to implement solutions become all the more imperative. We are proud of the progress that we have made, but there is still more work ahead of us."

The report explores local cases that have benefited from sustainable hunger solutions including the addition of a food truck in the Hillsboro City School District. Their food truck delivered 16,000 meals to students in the Hillsboro City School District in the summer of 2017, increasing meal program participation significantly.

Highlights from the report:

• Newark City School District integrates Breakfast in the Classroom program, improving breakfast participation from 33 percent to 73 percent.
• Painesville City School District overcomes rural mobility obstacles, increases summer meal participation by 288 percent with "The Lunch Box", a mobile meal delivery solution.  
• A $2,000 mini-grant to Indian Creek Local Schools helped to pilot Breakfast in the Classroom programming that led to an eventual increase in average daily breakfast participation from 48 percent to 83 percent.

"Children's Hunger Alliance has helped us improve the overall quality of our academic experience," said Doug Ute, Superintendent of the Newark City School District. "Providing convenient meal programs for students is key to their classroom participation and success. We look forward to expanding our meal programs so that no student goes without."

As a result of its efforts, Children's Hunger Alliance has not only impacted academic performance, but created additional job opportunities and resources for families throughout the state.

About Children's Hunger Alliance
Children's Hunger Alliance partners with organizations throughout Ohio to provide nutritious meals to at-risk children who need them most. We work with day care providers, day care centers, school districts, afterschool and summer programs to provide balanced, healthy meals to children in their care. Our team of educators also deliver nutrition education and lead children in physical activities to provide a balanced approach to childhood health. Children's Hunger Alliance has a team of 50 professionals throughout the state who are passionate about ending childhood hunger in Ohio's 88 counties with offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo.

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SOURCE Children's Hunger Alliance