Power Station with Monica Gonzales, No Kid Hungry

Published: March 25, 2019, 3:09 p.m.

Share Our Strength is an organization rooted in the conviction that hunger is a solvable problem. It is led by Billy and Debby Shore, a brother and sister whose father ran the political office of a congressional member in Pittsburgh and made the everyday realities of constituents a part of the dinner table conversation. Billy Shore went on to advise political campaigns and was motivated by the devastating famine of the early 1980s in Ethiopia to become an anti-hunger advocate. Billy and Debby now lead a thriving organization that deploys staff across the country to collaborate with schools, parents, chefs, corporate allies and policy makers to solve our nation’s hunger and nutrition challenges. As Monica Gonzales, Associate Director of Government Relations for No Kid Hungry, a key initiative of Share Our Strength, says on Power Station, “Hunger is non-partisan and does not discriminate. It affects children in urban, rural and suburban communities alike. And it is an indicator of other unmet needs that stem from poverty.” Monica draws on her experience as a child who benefited from school-based breakfast programs when she meets with policy makers on Capitol Hill. And she underscores what the data shows: nutritious food, like early exposure to reading, is critical in early childhood development and is a predictor for positive life outcomes. Monica explains that No Kid Hungry also advocates for state-based policy solutions and partners with local organizations and leaders in doing so. By building bi-partisan support on Capitol Hill, Monica stands up for policies that nurture children and families and she stands with the elected leaders that champion them. This is a rich discussion that should not be missed. And it opens the door to what we all can do to make change possible.