The Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation's Capital

The latest news and information about The Strategy to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation's Capital.

Press Release

More Children Participating in School Breakfast, Summer, and Afterschool Snack Programs, School Wellness Plan Adopted

The Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation’s Capital Marks Year One Accomplishments

Washington, DC, June 20, 2007—In just one year since launching its Plan to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation’s Capital, the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation’s Capital, a joint effort of D.C. Hunger Solutions, the Food Research and Action Center, and Share Our Strength, has taken major steps to make healthy meals a reality for low-income District children. The Partnership made significant strides towards meeting its goal of eradicating childhood hunger by 2016.

The progress made over the past year demonstrates that ending childhood hunger in the District is a bold but fully attainable goal. Participation in the afterschool snack program more than tripled to include 9,000 children. More than 20,000 children in D.C. Public Schools now start their day with a healthy breakfast. And, a record 29,000 children participated in the summer meal programs. The Partnership also led D.C. efforts for schools to adopt a wellness policy that includes nutrition education, healthy meals, and physical education.

Increasing participation in available federal nutrition programs helps connect children to healthy food where they live, play and learn. But, many parts of the city remain underserved by full-service grocery stores. As one answer, the Partnership reinvigorated the D.C. Farmers’ Market Collaborative to develop strategies to expand access to fruits and vegetables in such underserved communities.

"We’ve built a strong foundation for our future efforts, and we're holding ourselves accountable to the milestones we identified," said Alexandra Ashbrook, director of D.C. Hunger Solutions. "Children go hungry because they, their parents, and community institutions too often lack information, resources, and access. In just a year, we made progress in addressing those three basic things."

The Partnership published its Year One Progress Report which also outlines specific goals for its second year. To reach its goal of ending childhood hunger by 2016, the Partnership identified ten strategies. These ten strategies focus on improving public education about nutrition and federal nutrition programs already available, increasing participation in those programs, improving nutrition education, expanding access to nutritious foods in underserved communities, and improving families’ economic security.

Both the full report and Plan are available online at askmehow.org.