“Everybody’s got a hungry heart” — especially these “heroes” honored at City Hall Thursday.
Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks joined No Kid Hungry New York to recognize and celebrate 32 “Hunger Heroes” across every school district in the city.
The Hunger Heroes include cooks, aides, and food service workers — all who went above and beyond to support children struggling with food insecurity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Adams.
“The real heroes don’t wear capes — they wear aprons and gloves,” Hizzoner said in a statement March 10. “The school workers who have gone above and beyond to ensure our children don’t go hungry have delivered for our children, day after day, because when our children eat right, we can help them live up to their potential, inside and outside the classroom. These Hunger Heroes deserve our respect and gratitude, but we still have a long way to go. That’s why we are joining the Mayors’ Alliance to End Child Hunger and taking action to provide all of New York’s children with healthy food options.”
No Kid Hungry is a national campaign by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to combat hunger and poverty.
With one in four children facing hunger in the Big Apple this year, the food frontline workers are essential to combating the crisis by serving nearly 800,000 meals every day.
“Our food service employees are all true heroes — they are continuing to show up, even throughout the pandemic, to make sure that our young people are well-fed and taken care of each day,” said Chancellor Banks. “Congratulations on this well-deserved honor. I know I speak on behalf of all our New York City families and school communities when I say thank you for all you do every day to be heroes for our young people.”
This year’s Hunger Heroes include individuals like Treza Ayoub, the cook in charge at Jackson Heights’ P.S. 149 since 1998.
When a nearby apartment building suffered a fire last April, displacing several students and causing them to miss school, Ayoub made sure every student still got their breakfast and lunch.
“Our Hunger Heroes are too often unsung heroes, but they are some of the most vital professionals in our school communities,” said Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry New York. “No matter what challenges children may face at home, they can count on our Hunger Heroes to go above and beyond to provide good, healthy meals every school day. We are so thankful for their work, and for all the dedicated people working in our schools to keep kids strong and healthy.”
