Local nonprofit Kids’ Meals kicked off its annual Hunger Free Summer initiative in June in an effort to provide hundreds of thousands of nutritious meals to children in underserved communities. Local McDonald’s owner/operators stepped in to support the summer-long program, which runs through August 31 and raises funds and awareness for Kids’ Meals’ mission to combat food insecurity for preschool aged children in Houston. With just a few more days left in the summer program, they are expected to provide more than 400,000 meals to children in the community.
“Kids’ Meals is so thankful to partner with McDonald’s Houston to impact the lives of impoverished children in our community,” said Beth Harp, Executive Director of Kids’ Meals. “This is our busiest time of year, and support from local McDonald’s owner/operators means that we can provide more than 400,000 meals this summer to children who may otherwise go hungry.”
Another aspect of the initiative is the “Juice Box Challenge”, where Houstonians are encouraged to donate 100% juice boxes to help Kids’ Meals complete its goal of providing a juice box with every meal they distribute. The goal for this summer’s challenge is 378,000 100% juice boxes.
Harris County has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, largely due in part to the number of preschool-aged children who do not have access to school-based free meal programs and often slip through the cracks of social services that deal with food insecurity.
During the summer months, Kids’ Meals delivers up to 6,100 healthy meals a day across 40 zip codes in Houston, specifically in areas where the need is most critical.
“Supporting families is at the core of what we do at McDonald’s, and when we learned about Kids’ Meals and its mission, partnering with them was a no-brainer,” said Hazel Smith, local McDonald’s owner/operator and president of the Black McDonald’s Owners Association of Houston. “One in four preschoolers in the Greater Houston area faces food insecurity and they’re counting on organizations like Kids’ Meals to help bridge the gap. We encourage our fellow Houstonians to join us in the fight to end childhood hunger.”
There is still time left to donate and help end food insecurity in Houston. Learn more by visiting their website at kidsmealsinc.org.
