No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger, has named a pair of Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank Employees “Summer Hunger Heroes.”
Carey Sealy, the food bank’s director of Distribution Services, and Curtis Dickerson, the operation’s Distribution Logistics manager, were among 11 honorees hailing from nine states who were recognized for showing outstanding commitment to summer hunger relief.
Sealy and Dickerson oversee the operation of 12 sites, including churches, schools, a park and even a retail partner. This year, they are expanding evening hours to every county they serve, helping to better meet the needs of working families.
They’re also piloting Ship-to-Home, a critical step for reaching households with limited transportation, according to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve hunger and poverty problems around the world.
Summer has traditionally been the hungriest time of year for kids, when regular school meals disappear for the season. But now, thanks to policy initiatives that allow for flexible options like multi-day meal distribution and home deliveries, summer meals are reaching kids in remote corners of the states. And Summer EBT, which provides $120 in grocery benefits per child, is proving to be a gamechanger for ensuring eligible families can afford healthy food for their children, No Kid Hungry said.
“No Kid Hungry is proud to honor these outstanding individuals for their tireless work to ensure kids in rural communities receive summer meals and that families feel the economic relief afforded by summer EBT benefits,” Sarah Steely, No Kid Hungry Virginia director, said in an announcement of the awards. “Thanks to their efforts, thousands of kids can count on healthy meals all summer, allowing them to return to school in the fall healthy and ready to learn.”
