New Initiative to Build Youth Leadership as Economic Strain Puts More Youth at Risk of Hunger
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As rising food costs, persistent inflation, and an uncertain economic landscape place increased strain on young people, the Congressional Hunger Center and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation today announced a new initiative to strengthen youth leadership and advance long-term solutions to hunger, particularly for children and young adults.
Young people are coming of age amid higher costs for food, housing, and education, alongside a labor market that has proven uneven for early-career workers. These pressures are contributing to elevated rates of food insecurity, with lasting consequences for educational attainment, health, and economic mobility.
“We know that when children and young people don’t have enough to eat, they lose out on much more than a meal,” said Shannon Maynard, Executive Director of the Congressional Hunger Center. “Food insecurity is linked to lower academic performance, declines in school attendance, difficulty concentrating, and long-term health impacts. We need to ensure young people are not only supported but are active designers of the solutions to the problems we face. This initiative expands our investment in youth leadership, education, and policy engagement so young people are nourished and prepared to meet today’s challenges and help shape stronger food systems for the future.”
Approximately 14 million children are food insecure, according to the latest USDA food security data released in 2026. Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012), which now make up 20% of the U.S. population, are also the generation most likely to be affected by food insecurity.
Recent research from Temple University’s Hope Center shows that food insecurity is a leading factor in college students dropping out, with significant implications for workforce readiness and long-term economic stability.
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has signed on as the principal sponsor of the Hunger Center’s Youth and Future Generations strategic initiative, demonstrating a shared commitment to supporting youth-led solutions as part of a broader response to rising food insecurity.
As principal sponsor, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation will continue its longstanding support of the Hunger Center’s Zero Hunger Internship, a ten-week paid opportunity placing college students at anti-hunger policy organizations in Washington, D.C.; Zero Hunger Academy, which offers free online courses on food security and advocacy; and the annual Gen Z Food and Hunger Summit, which brings together Gen Z ambassadors from across the country to Washington to learn from each other’s work and share their experiences with—and solutions to—food security with their elected officials. The Hunger Center also partners with the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to distribute mini-grants to community-led weekend backpack programs across the U.S., which distribute bags filled with nutritious, shelf-stable food to K-12 students who rely on free or reduced-price school meals.
The partnership builds on more than 25 years of collaboration between the Hunger Center and the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. Over that time, the Foundation has contributed more than $2 million to expand access to leadership development opportunities for young people committed to stopping hunger in the United States.
“At the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, we believe lasting progress on hunger requires empowering young people with knowledge, opportunity, and a voice,” said Roxanne Moore, Executive Director of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. “We are proud to support this initiative at a critical moment for food security and to stand alongside emerging leaders working to create meaningful change.”
More information about the Youth and Future Generations initiative and the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation’s partnership can be found at www.hungercenter.org/sodexostophunger
Founded in 1993 by bipartisan Members of Congress, the Congressional Hunger Center is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger by developing leaders, advancing research and policy solutions, and strengthening food systems in the United States and globally. Through fellowships, internships, and educational programs, the Hunger Center invests in the next generation while working to address the root causes of food insecurity.
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation is the philanthropic arm of global food services company Sodexo. For 30 years, the Foundation’s grantmaking has supported organizations addressing food insecurity in the United States through both direct food assistance and long-term solutions. Its investments include programs such as summer meals, backpack programs, campus pantries, workforce development, and youth-led initiatives that help break cycles of poverty and hunger.
Young people are coming of age amid higher costs for food, housing, and education, alongside a labor market that has proven uneven for early-career workers. These pressures are contributing to elevated rates of food insecurity, with lasting consequences for educational attainment, health, and economic mobility.
“We know that when children and young people don’t have enough to eat, they lose out on much more than a meal,” said Shannon Maynard, Executive Director of the Congressional Hunger Center. “Food insecurity is linked to lower academic performance, declines in school attendance, difficulty concentrating, and long-term health impacts. We need to ensure young people are not only supported but are active designers of the solutions to the problems we face. This initiative expands our investment in youth leadership, education, and policy engagement so young people are nourished and prepared to meet today’s challenges and help shape stronger food systems for the future.”
Approximately 14 million children are food insecure, according to the latest USDA food security data released in 2026. Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012), which now make up 20% of the U.S. population, are also the generation most likely to be affected by food insecurity.
Recent research from Temple University’s Hope Center shows that food insecurity is a leading factor in college students dropping out, with significant implications for workforce readiness and long-term economic stability.
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has signed on as the principal sponsor of the Hunger Center’s Youth and Future Generations strategic initiative, demonstrating a shared commitment to supporting youth-led solutions as part of a broader response to rising food insecurity.
As principal sponsor, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation will continue its longstanding support of the Hunger Center’s Zero Hunger Internship, a ten-week paid opportunity placing college students at anti-hunger policy organizations in Washington, D.C.; Zero Hunger Academy, which offers free online courses on food security and advocacy; and the annual Gen Z Food and Hunger Summit, which brings together Gen Z ambassadors from across the country to Washington to learn from each other’s work and share their experiences with—and solutions to—food security with their elected officials. The Hunger Center also partners with the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to distribute mini-grants to community-led weekend backpack programs across the U.S., which distribute bags filled with nutritious, shelf-stable food to K-12 students who rely on free or reduced-price school meals.
The partnership builds on more than 25 years of collaboration between the Hunger Center and the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. Over that time, the Foundation has contributed more than $2 million to expand access to leadership development opportunities for young people committed to stopping hunger in the United States.
“At the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, we believe lasting progress on hunger requires empowering young people with knowledge, opportunity, and a voice,” said Roxanne Moore, Executive Director of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. “We are proud to support this initiative at a critical moment for food security and to stand alongside emerging leaders working to create meaningful change.”
More information about the Youth and Future Generations initiative and the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation’s partnership can be found at www.hungercenter.org/sodexostophunger
Founded in 1993 by bipartisan Members of Congress, the Congressional Hunger Center is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger by developing leaders, advancing research and policy solutions, and strengthening food systems in the United States and globally. Through fellowships, internships, and educational programs, the Hunger Center invests in the next generation while working to address the root causes of food insecurity.
The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation is the philanthropic arm of global food services company Sodexo. For 30 years, the Foundation’s grantmaking has supported organizations addressing food insecurity in the United States through both direct food assistance and long-term solutions. Its investments include programs such as summer meals, backpack programs, campus pantries, workforce development, and youth-led initiatives that help break cycles of poverty and hunger.
Laura Tarre
Congressional Hunger Center
ltarre@hungercenter.org
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