- Seven Utah mayors have joined a national alliance to fight child hunger, uniting 500 mayors.
- Millcreek Mayor Cheri Jackson emphasizes moral responsibility to provide healthy meals for children.
- The alliance collaborates with No Kid Hungry to boost nutrition program access.
MILLCREEK — The mayors of Millcreek, Bluffdale, Layton, Clearfield, Orem, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County have joined leaders from across the country in the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger.
The national effort unites more than 500 mayors from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., against food insecurity. Hunger affects 48 million people nationwide — 14 million of whom are children, according to Feeding America.
"Ensuring that every child in Millcreek has access to healthy, reliable meals is not a partisan issue — it's a moral responsibility," Millcreek Mayor Cheri Jackson said in a statement Wednesday. "When children are hungry, they struggle to learn, grow and thrive."
As part of its commitment to the alliance, the city of Millcreek aims to increase its efforts to support families, expand access to nutrition programs and build partnerships to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed, city officials said.
The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, launched in 2022, harnesses the influence of local leaders to identify and implement solutions to combat childhood hunger.
The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, a nonpartisan coalition, partners with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign to see that every child has the healthy food they need to thrive.
The organization says that through collaboration, innovation, and advocacy, it supports strategies that boost access to federal nutrition programs, strengthen community partnerships and raise awareness about the systemic causes of hunger.
Aaron Goldstein, senior manager of local government relations at Share Our Strength, said the organization has seen local leaders take different and innovative approaches to address child hunger over the past four years.
"Mayors have witnessed firsthand the hardship their constituents are facing, and their cities are on the frontlines of responding to the short and long-term impacts of hunger in their communities," he said in a statement. "We have seen mayors address child hunger in a variety of creative ways, from advocating for and strengthening nutrition programs, to creating innovative public-private partnerships and growing awareness of the systemic connections between poverty, racism and hunger."
Other Utah leaders, including Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall, Layton Mayor Joy Petro, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, Clearfield Mayor Mark Shepherd and Orem Mayor David Young have all joined the nationwide mayors alliance.
