Governor Martin O'Malley and Share Our Strength® Announce Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland
BALTIMORE, MD (November 24, 2008)—Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Share Our Strength®, a national nonprofit organization, today announced a Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland. More than 152,000 children live below the poverty line in Maryland, and nearly 87,000 Maryland households have children who participate in the Food Supplement Program. The goal of the Partnership announced today is to make Maryland the first state in the nation to end childhood hunger within its borders.
“More than 184,000 kids in Maryland don’t have ready or reliable access to the food they need to lead healthy, active lives,” said Governor O’Malley. “Not only is that inexcusable, but Maryland should be leading the way in this effort to end childhood hunger. In partnership with Share Our Strength, whose national strategy to end childhood hunger will guide our efforts, we will address the specific challenges in Maryland and ensure that no child goes without the basic nourishment needed to thrive.”
The Partnership will help reach children at risk of hunger in Maryland by increasing participation in highly effective but under-utilized federal food and nutrition programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), the Summer Food Service Program, School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The Partnership will bring additional federal funds to the State of Maryland in order to increase enrollment and participation in existing programs.
The Partnership has set a number of goals to increase participation in programs that help reach Maryland children in need. For example, during the 2009 school year, the Partnership’s goal is to increase by 20 percent the number of licensed childcare facilities participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which provides nutritious meals and snacks each day as part of their programs. The number of participating child care centers would rise from 564 to 677.
In 2009, the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland hopes to increase the number of students who participate in the Summer Meals program by at least three percent. This would result in an additional 49,000 children having access to summer meals.
The Partnership has also set a goal of increasing the number of Maryland households participating in the Food Supplement Program by 10 percent to reach approximately 8,700 additional households in need.
Presently, only 14.48 percent of Maryland’s schoolchildren receive school breakfast each year. In 2009, the Partnership intends to increase the participation rate by nine percent and ensure that more than 65,000 additional children in Maryland receive school breakfast, which is critical to a child’s ability to learn.
“Our strategy to end childhood hunger is based on closing the gaps between existing public and private programs and the families who need them,” said Billy Shore, founder of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to ensure no child in America grows up hungry. “In Maryland, as in many states, these programs are often under-utilized, keeping kids from getting three nutritious meals a day. This partnership will identify and close those gaps, making sure that no child in Maryland grows up hungry.”
Governor O’Malley has assigned the Governor’s Office for Children as the lead state agency in the Partnership. It is working with Share Our Strength®, the State Departments of Education, Human Resources, and Health and Mental Hygiene, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other key public and private organizations across the state.
The Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland includes a strong coalition of organizations and agencies on the national and local levels, representing the private and public sectors, including the school systems, the Maryland Food Bank, Advocates for Children and Youth, and MD Hunger Solutions/Food Research and Action Center to implement the action plan to end childhood hunger in Maryland.
About Share Our Strength®
Share Our Strength® is a national organization working to ensure no child in America grows up hungry. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger, and ensure they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation®, Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit®, Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out™, and Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline®. For more information, please visit Strength.org.
About the Maryland Governor’s Office for Children
The Governor's Office for Children (GOC) coordinates child and family-oriented care with the Children’s Cabinet to create and promote an integrated, community-based service delivery system for Maryland’s children, youth and families. The Children’s Cabinet includes the Secretaries from the Departments of Budget and Management, Disabilities, Health and Mental Hygiene, Human Resources, and Juvenile Services, as well as the State Superintendent of Schools for the Maryland State Department of Education.
