2023 Rural Child Hunger Summit to Convene Community, School and Nonprofit Leaders to ‘Build Resiliency through Partnerships and Innovation’

Speakers and Session Leaders include USDA officials, First Lady of Wyoming, Youth Advocates and Rural Food Security and Research Experts

Washington, D.C.  (October 11, 2023)— Rural community, school and nonprofit leaders, together with U.S. Department of Agriculture officials and food security advocates, will gather virtually Oct. 17-18 to share and discuss innovative strategies to combat child hunger across rural America. The fifth annual Rural Child Hunger Summit, co-presented by Save the Children and No Kid Hungry, will cover a variety of topics, including the impact youth voices have in influencing rural food programs and systems, the critical role schools and community partnerships play in improving food security for rural kids, adaptive approaches to delivering summer meals, and much more.

The two-day virtual summit, with the theme of Reimagining Rural: Building Resiliency Through Partnerships and Innovation, will have attendees convening with partners and joining a number of sessions focused on unpacking and delving into the latest research, promising policy solutions, and community approaches to help eliminate rural child hunger. Speakers and session leaders include Dr. Caree Cotwright, USDA Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, the First Lady of the State of Wyoming, Jennie Gordon, student advocates, representatives from Save the Children and No Kid Hungry’s food security teams and more.

“Education is the ladder out of poverty, but kids struggle to thirst for knowledge when they’re hungry for food. And nearly 90 percent of the counties with the highest food insecurity rates are rural. Geographic isolation, lack of transportation, and limited access to stores with fresh food are making it very difficult for many rural families to give their children the nutritious meals they need to grow and develop,” said Esther Liew, Food Security Projects Advisor at Save the Children.  “Save the Children is grateful for its partnership and collaboration with No Kid Hungry and looks forward to this year’s Rural Child Hunger Summit, which will foster important discussions on best practices, innovative ideas and policy solutions that will help end rural child hunger.”

“Rural communities suffer the brunt of the economic instability that faces so many families in our country. We look forward to bringing together a representative group of community leaders, government officials and fierce social advocates to share a synergy of ideas and best practices that will hopefully carry us that much closer to ending the struggle of child hunger in rural America,” said Valeria Hawkins, Senior Program Manager for the Center for Best Practices at No Kid Hungry.

To learn more about the 2023 Rural Child Hunger Summit and register, visit the summit homepage.

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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.

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.