As part of a campaign to end childhood hunger in Arkansas, Gov. Mike Beebe’s office has completed a statewide assessment of the access Arkansas’s low-income children have to food. The process was led by Kim Caldwell, a Clinton School student, as her final project towards earning her Master in Public Service (MPS) degree.
The results of the assessment were presented Wednesday at a regular meeting of the No Kid Hungry Campaign. Click here to view the report online. The data represents a small portion of the assessment, which not only identified the locations of existing resources, but also asked participating nonprofits and agencies how the campaign can help to do more in their communities.
The first of its kind, the assessment pulled information from state and nonprofit sources to map the locations of free or reduced-price foods in the state. It will be used to guide the efforts of the campaign as it implements strategies to increase access to nutritious food for children in need.
“This information will not only help us work smarter to address childhood hunger in the state, but it will also help us track our progress and make sure that we match our resources with the needs of children,” said Harriett Phillips, executive assistant to Gov. Beebe’s chief of staff Morril Harriman.
“We have heard what is working and where we need to do more from our agencies on the ground that are doing the important work of feeding kids,” said Joyce Hardy, director of the campaign. “We have taken the first steps to get these groups the training and support needed to serve more children and we’ll increase these efforts based on the assessment’s findings.”
Caldwell has presented the methodology for her report at the Hunger Free Communities Summit in Washington D.C., a national gathering of organizations dedicated to ending hunger. Along with Hardy, Caldwell will brief Beebe on Thursday on the assessment and its impact on ending childhood hunger in Arkansas.