Leading Nonprofits Join Albertsons Companies Foundation In A First-Of-Its-Kind Initiative To Tackle Summer Hunger Among Children In The U.S.

(MENAFN- 3BL) The Albertsons Companies Foundation announced the launch of a new collective effort focused on addressing childhood hunger this summer. By bringing together a coalition of leading nonprofit organizations, the first-of-its-kind initiative aims to drive awareness and boost participation in the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children Program (Summer EBT), also known as SUN Bucks.

“Childhood hunger is a complex problem that requires partners from across the food system to come together and collaborate,” said Christy Duncan Anderson, President and Executive Director of Albertsons Companies Foundation.“Through the collective knowledge, expertise and extensive network of prominent nonprofits and the Albertsons Companies Foundation, we aim to connect with a greater number of families than we could individually.”

For the millions of kids who rely on free or reduced-priced meals at school, summer can mean a lack of access to nutritious food. To help combat this, the USDA has launched Summer EBT, a new program available in 37 states, all five U.S. territories, and two Tribes. The program will provide grocery benefits to low-income families with school-aged children during the summer months when school is out. Eligible families in participating states will receive $120 per eligible school-aged child to purchase groceries.

“We have advocated for the creation of a summer EBT program like SUN Bucks for more than a decade and we are thrilled that this program will be available to families facing food insecurity this summer,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America.“Working alongside people facing hunger and partners like Albertsons Companies Foundation, we will make a real impact on summer hunger and lay the groundwork for more states to participate next year.”

The Albertsons Companies Foundation's Nourishing Neighbors program together with an Advisory Group of leading players across the food system will work together to ensure as many families as possible benefit from the program in this critical first year. The Advisory Group is comprised of representatives from Feeding America® , Food Research & Action Center , Gift Card Bank , Hunger Free America , mRelief , No Kid Hungry , Partnership for a Healthier America , and WhyHunger . This group reaches more than 200 foodbanks, 500 school districts and community organizations, and over 1500 partner organizations across the country.

“Summer is the hungriest time of the year for the millions of children who rely on school meals, and the rising costs of groceries means families are feeling the pinch even more,” added Anne Filipic, CEO of Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign.“We believe that by joining Albertsons Companies Foundation and their partners, together we can get one step closer to ensuring every single child in America has the food they need to grow up healthy and strong.”

Through a surround-sound approach designed to reach parents and caregivers online and, in their communities, the initiative aims to ensure families have access to the information they need to learn how they can benefit from this new program.

In addition, the coalition launched a new website, SummerEBT , which gives families a simple, fast way to check if they are eligible and connect to their state sign-up site. For families that live in states that are not participating, the site directs them to other food resources, such as the USDA Summer Meals program , and enables them write to their elected representatives encouraging their state's participation next summer.

See press release in Albertsons Companies Newsroom and read more about Albertsons Companies and our Recipe for Change on our website .

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