We invest in and support child nutrition program access
Impact
Our strategy is designed to broaden use of under-utilized federal child nutrition programs.
We’ve been changing the trajectory of child hunger in Minnesota since 2015.
Our recent advocacy efforts follow significant hunger-relief legislation which established universal free school meals and a state-level.
In partnership with our hunger relief network and the Partners to End Hunger coalition, here are just some of the successes we celebrated.
- The legislature provided funding to implement Summer EBT or SUN Bucks, which helps families who struggle with food during the summer. It provides eligible families with $120 per child to purchase groceries.
- Lawmakers passed a bill to provide free milk to students who do not take a full school lunch, with state reimbursements for schools.
- The Farm to School program received a $125,000 funding increase and expanded eligibility to include home-based early care settings.
- Putting Minnesota on the path to a Medicaid waiver to address health-related social needs for housing and nutrition.
There was so much more, which can be found in our annual report.
In conjunction with our research and evaluation partner EnSearch, Inc., we created the Child Nutrition Index, a proprietary analytics tool drawn from data sources at the Minnesota departments of Education, and Health and Human Services.
Armed with this knowledge, we use and share our proprietary data to keep improving our track record of closing the meal gap for hungry kids from birth to age 18.
Vision
Nutritious food for every food insecure Minnesota child.
Mission
To help children grow, develop and focus on learning, rather than hunger, so they can reach their full potential.
Guiding Principle:
Kids should only be hungry to learn.
We increase access to nutritious food for Minnesota children who are struggling with food insecurity.
We drive systemic and sustainable growth in targeted meal programs to reach all eligible kids.
OUR STRATEGIC INTENT
- We help draft policy proposals for the Minnesota legislature to invest in child hunger fighting organizations, site expansion and structural improvements.
- We track progress to refine, scale, and replicate successful tactics for all hungry children.
- We synthesize the data and update our results quarterly.
- We support a strong network of statewide, community-based initiatives and partners.
Leadership
Board of Directors and Advisors
Annual Reports
Advocacy
Disclosure documents
IRS 501c3 Exempt Status
Hunger-Free Minnesota
It began in 2011
Presentations and videos from our 2022 conference on community building for children.
COLLECTIVE IMPACT PARTNERS
