Back Yard Burgers, No Kid Hungry Team Up to Tackle Childhood Hunger

For Dave McDougall, CEO of Back Yard Burgers, food isn’t just business – it’s a way to give back. Talk to any of the 1 in 5 American children who face hunger each year, and you’ll likely come to understand just how important a meal can be.

“In a country with so much, it’s unacceptable that so many children go hungry each day,” McDougall said.

That’s why he and the Back Yard Burgers family have teamed up with No Kid Hungry, an anti-hunger campaign from the nonprofit Share Our Strength.

Back Yard Burgers is not alone in its efforts to help keep needy children fed – franchise brands from Arby’s and Denny’s to Chronic Taco and Corner Bakery Café have gotten involved to make a difference.

“Who knows food better than the restaurant industry?” asked Chuck Scofield, Share Our Strength’s chief development officer. “Our restaurant partners are paving the way to making no kid hungry a reality.”

No Kid Hungry is focused on a three-prong strategy for addressing childhood hunger: School breakfast programs, summer feeding programs, and teaching parents and kids how to purchase and prepare nutritious meals on a budget.

The first is handled through school food programs. With studies showing that children who eat breakfast perform better in school, it’s clear how important feeding kids is not just to their health, but to their academic futures, as well.

The second part of the strategy concentrates on children who won’t be able to access school food programs during summer break. No Kid Hungry works to expand meal programs for children during those critical months.

Finally, the organization is looking to improve things at home with the Cooking Matters program. This program is designed to teach families how to shop and cook smarter on extremely limited budgets, illustrating easy ways to eat healthy yet affordable meals.

With fans as varied as First Lady Michelle Obama to movie stars like Jeff Bridges, it’s clear many are excited about the work No Kid Hungry is doing, none more so than McDougall.

Along with other members of the franchise industry, McDougall recently visited with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss ways legislators can help support No Kid Hungry’s goals.

“Part of the problem is that bureaucracy gets in the way,” McDougall said. “We want to make it easier for local jurisdictions to help those in need without the extra hurdles federal involvement can create.”

Visit No Kid Hungry at www.NoKidHungry.org to learn more about how you can get involved.