Over the past year, we’ve seen a lot of ups and downs. We’ve had to fight for the existence of AmeriCorps, and we’ve seen our school lunch guidelines relaxed despite taking a stand against it. Still, we believe that big things are possible, and we believe in celebrating our successes.

It has been seven eventful, inspiring years here at FoodCorps, and I find myself feeling deep gratitude for how far we’ve come and for the opportunities that lie ahead. Here are seven things I’m grateful for right now.

FoodCorps member Ailish Dennigan is a 2016 recipient of  Share Our Strength’s Breakfast After the Bell grant. The grant provided funding and guidance to launch a breakfast cart pilot project at her service site, Brookside Elementary School in Norwalk, Connecticut. Over the course of just a few weeks, her school more than doubled breakfast participation. We spoke with Ailish about how she made it happen.

FoodCorps Service Member Lauren Burke won the 2017 FoodCorps Victory Growers Award “for a compelling account of hunger and food insecurity,” winning a $5,000 prize for her service site, Moencopi Developers Corporation in Tuba City, AZ. The award, sponsored by C&S Wholesale Grocers, highlights that many children struggle with hunger and food insecurity, and that the food they receive at school is the most important meal they will get all day.

FoodCorps Service Member Carly Wyman was a runner-up in the 2017 FoodCorps Victory Growers Award “for a compelling account of hunger and food insecurity,” winning a $1,000 prize for her service site, Kua O Ka La in Pahoa, HI. The award, sponsored by C&S Wholesale Grocers, highlights that many children struggle with hunger and food insecurity, and that the food they receive at school is the most important meal they will get all day.

FoodCorps Service Member Mary Grace Stoneking was a runner-up in the 2017 FoodCorps Victory Growers Award “for a compelling account of hunger and food insecurity,” winning a $1,000 prize for her service site, Van Buren School District in Van Buren, AR. The award, sponsored by C&S Wholesale Grocers, highlights that many children struggle with hunger and food insecurity, and that the food they receive at school is the most important meal they will get all day.

Welcome to a new cohort of 20 FoodCorps AmeriCorps members serving in 40 schools statewide! Katie Alderman is a recent college graduate passionate about healthy food and community empowerment. Both of her parents are teachers, and she has always valued early childhood education very highly. She believes that all kids can succeed, and thinks that access … Continued