Authored by Aaron Goldstein, Senior Manager of Local Government Relations at Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign announced the expanded impact of its Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger and member communities through a $1.5 million commitment by Dollar Tree to strengthen mayor-led strategies and local solutions that help ensure every child has the food they need to thrive.
A Deepening Commitment to Local Leadership
This substantial investment from Dollar Tree marks a significant escalation of support for the Mayors Alliance, acknowledging that the most effective solutions to complex problems often emerge from local, on-the-ground leaders. Dollar Tree’s support will help deepen collaboration among mayors nationwide to build stronger, more resilient systems that ensure kids get the meals they need during the school year, over the summer or in times of crisis. This commitment is not merely a donation; it is a strategic investment in the infrastructure of change, aimed at streamlining resources and promoting best practices across diverse municipalities.
A key component of this partnership is the launch of the Mayors Alliance Action Fund. This fund is a nimble, responsive financial mechanism that provides cities with funding to address immediate local needs. By giving mayors the resources to respond to urgent issues, the fund enables them to act quickly and effectively on behalf of their constituents, cutting through bureaucratic delays that often prevent timely aid from reaching families in need. The Action Fund embodies the principle that local leaders, being closest to the problem, are best positioned to identify and deploy targeted interventions that have the greatest impact on childhood food insecurity.
The Urgency of Childhood Hunger in America
The reality of childhood hunger remains a national crisis. Fourteen million kids today live in families that struggle with food insecurity. This is not a statistic confined to a few isolated areas; it is a pervasive challenge that touches every community, affecting children’s health, academic performance and long-term potential. These children may go without food between the meals they get at school, or their parents may frequently skip meals so their kids can be nourished. The cyclical nature of hunger can trap families in poverty, making reliable access to nutrition a fundamental requirement for breaking that cycle.
No Kid Hungry works tirelessly to strengthen federal nutrition programs — such as the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and Summer Food Service Program — that provide kids with the consistent nutrition they need. However, the successful implementation and reach of these essential programs depend on the strength of local leadership and community-level action. This is where the Mayors Alliance steps in.
Harnessing the Power of Mayoral Leadership
The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger taps into the individual and collective leadership of mayors, who are uniquely positioned to drive practical, community-centered solutions to end childhood hunger in cities nationwide. Mayors have the convening power to bring together school districts, local non-profits, faith-based organizations and community businesses. Launched in 2022, the Mayors Alliance has rapidly grown from 50 to more than 500 mayors, building a powerful, bipartisan movement committed to ensuring no child goes hungry in America. This explosive growth reflects widespread recognition among municipal leaders that ending childhood hunger is not only a moral imperative, but also a critical component of building healthy, prosperous cities.
“As mayors, we see firsthand how hunger impacts the health and opportunity of our children,” said Mayor Daniel Rickenmann of Columbia, S.C., Chair of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger. “The Mayors Alliance Action Fund is about empowering local leaders to drive solutions that fit their communities, and ensuring every child has the nourishment they need to reach their full potential. This funding will allow for pilot programs and rapid-response initiatives that are tailored to the unique economic and demographic challenges of each city.”
The Inaugural Action Fund Grant Recipients
The inaugural grant recipients of the Mayors Alliance Action Fund to End Childhood Hunger represent a diverse array of innovative, community-focused projects:
- Central Falls, R.I. (The Central Falls Summer Food Access Program – Mayor Maria Rivera)
- Cleveland, Ohio (The Food Access Navigators Project – Mayor Justin Bibb)
- Durham, N.C. (Convening Dunham – Mayor Leonardo Williams)
- Mableton, Ga. (The Mableton Summer Nutrition and Family Empowerment Initiative – Mayor Michael Owens)
- Milwaukee, Wis. (The Federal Nutrition Mini-Grants for Mayoral Action – Mayor Cavalier Johnson)
- Moreno Valley, Calif. (The Summer Meals in the Park Expansion Project – Mayor Ulises Cabrera)
- New Orleans, La. (NOHD Public Benefits Navigation Hub Project – Mayor Helena Moreno)
- Philadelphia, Pa. (The Philadelphia Summer Meals Expansion Strategy – Mayor Cherelle Parker)
The funded projects are designed to address common barriers to food access directly. For instance, the Food Access Navigators Project in Cleveland aims to deploy trained personnel to help eligible families navigate and enroll in federal benefit programs like SNAP and WIC, addressing the complexity of application processes. Similarly, the Summer Meals in the Park Expansion Project in Moreno Valley focuses on improving the delivery infrastructure of summer meal sites, ensuring that children have easy, consistent access to nutritious food when schools are closed. These grants exemplify direct-action, community-driven solutions the Mayors Alliance Action Fund was created to support.
“Mayors understand better than anyone how hunger affects their communities, and they are uniquely positioned to lead effective, local solutions,” said Anne Filipic, CEO of Share Our Strength, the organization behind No Kid Hungry. “Dollar Tree’s investment fuels that leadership, helping promote best practices across cities nationwide, scale what works and support local partners that meet the realities families face. This deep commitment allows us to move beyond temporary fixes toward creating lasting systemic change.”
“At Dollar Tree, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, and that begins with reliable access to nutritious food,” said Jennifer Silberman, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Dollar Tree. “We are proud to expand our partnership with No Kid Hungry and support the trusted local leadership of mayors who know their communities best. This investment allows us to further our shared mission and help ensure a brighter, hunger-free future for children across the country.”
Visit the Mayors Alliance’s website to learn more and get your city, town or village involved.
Visit the NLC Strategic Partnerships page to learn more about the organizations like Share Our Strength dedicated to making NLC the premier resource for local governments.
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