The National League of Cities (NLC), in partnership with Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), has selected the City of Little Rock as one of 14 cities that will attend the CHAMPS: Cities Combating Hunger Leadership Academy in Kansas City Missouri. Little Rock was selected because the commitment of City leadership to reduce hunger for families, the ability of partners to strengthen meal programs, and the ability of the city to develop a strong citywide campaign that encourages the entire community to act.

“Securing summer and afterschool meal programs for Little Rock kids is a priority of the No Kid Hungry campaign,” said Vice Mayor Kathy Webb, who is also Executive Director of the Hunger Relief Alliance. “We are pleased to provide assistance to Central Arkansas Library System and the City in an effort to see these programs expanded.” 

This is a great opportunity for Little Rock to lead on this issue, said City Manger Bruce T. Moore.

“The City of Little Rock is grateful for this opportunity and is excited to be able to be able to compete for additional grant funding to combat hunger in our community,” Moore said.

The City of Little Rock will be partnering with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, the lead sponsor of the Arkansas No Kid Hungry Campaign and the Central Arkansas Library System.

During the Leadership Academy leaders will learn the requirements for receiving federal dollars to implement the Afterschool and Summer Meal programs and best practices for increasing utilization of these programs, as well as gaining guidance from field experts and broadening relationships with peers in cities across the country.

By participating in the Leadership Academy Little Rock will be eligible for a grant of up to $150,000 and receive technical assistance from NLC and FRAC in developing an anti-hunger campaign which will expand out-of-school meal programs. With support from the Walmart Foundation, NLC has supported 71 cities serving more than 12 million meals to over 140,000 children through the federal Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs over the last six years.

Other cities selected to attend the Leadership Academy include: Mesa, AZ; Inglewood, CA; Miami, FL; Miami Gardens, FL; St. Louis, MO; Jackson, MS; Durham, NC; Winston-Salem, NC; Henderson, NV; Allentown, PA; Denton, TX; Waco, TX; Spokane, WA.

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The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance is a nonprofit collaborative network of more than 400 Arkansas hunger relief organizations. It takes a comprehensive and multifaceted approach. Its Executive director is also the Vice Mayor and will lead our committee.

Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), headquartered in Little Rock, is the largest Arkansas library system. Nine of its 14 libraries are located in Little Rock and six of those operate feeding programs.

The Food Research & Action Center is the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States.

The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. The Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, a special entity within the National League of Cities, helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of the children, youth, and families in their communities.