Save the Children Appoints Tamara Sandberg as U.S. Food Security and Nutrition Advisor

Nonprofit Executive to Lead Efforts in Providing Nutritious Meals to Children Across Rural America

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (September 30, 2020) – Committed to meeting the most urgent needs of children during the coronavirus pandemic, Save the Children announced today the appointment of Tamara Sandberg as U.S. Food Security and Nutrition Advisor. The Georgetown, Kentucky resident will lead the nonprofit organization’s efforts to ensure children across rural America are getting the nutritious meals they need to grow healthy and strong.

“I am honored to join Save the Children as its first Advisor for Food Security and Nutrition with a focus on children and families across rural America,” said Sandberg. “Save the Children has a long and impressive history of helping give children the futures they deserve. I look forward to growing our food security and nutrition programs, and helping ensure kids across rural America have access to enough nourishing food for a healthy, active lifestyle so children have the fuel they need to learn and thrive.”

Since the onset of COVID-19 in America, unemployment has spiked sharply and food insecurity has tripled for households with children. Save the Children has helped prepare and deliver nearly 8 million meals since the end of March to children across rural America – which, prior to COVID-19, contained 90 percent of the U.S. counties with high child food insecurity rates.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tamara to Save the Children’s team,” said Betsy Zorio, Vice President of U.S. Programs and Advocacy for Save the Children. “With coronavirus continuing to have wide-reaching and detrimental impact on children’s growth and development, it’s critical we strengthen our commitment to keeping kids’ bellies full of fresh, nutritious food. Tamara’s extensive experience in developing strategies to help reduce child hunger – especially in rural America – will be incredibly valuable in helping us do just that.”  

Sandberg spent nearly a decade as the executive director of Feeding Kentucky, leading the nonprofit’s mission to end hunger in The Bluegrass State and helping reach an estimated 1 in 7 Kentuckians each year through a partnership of over 800 local food pantries and shelters. Prior to that, she helped oversee grant proposals and fund development at the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development in Berea, Kentucky, for nearly five years and spent two years as the Chief Partnership Development Officer for Greater Wyoming Big Brothers Big Sisters.

To learn more about Save the Children’s work across rural America, please visit www.savethechildren.org. 

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that Save the Children is a charity you can trust. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.