During the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) 92nd Winter Meeting, the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger gathered to officially transition leadership of the Alliance, reflect on the past year, and build momentum for the year ahead.
More than 20 member mayors and dozens of staff from mayoral offices and other partnering organizations braved the snow and cold in mid-January to celebrate the group’s second anniversary. We were able to thank our outgoing Chair, Mayor John Giles (Mesa, AZ), for his exceptional year of service and to welcome our new Chair, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome (Baton Rouge, LA) and incoming Vice Chair, Mayor Mattie Parker (Fort Worth, TX).
Mayor-President Broome shared her priorities for the upcoming year, which include elevating the group with peer mayoral organizations, elected officials, and media to solidify the Mayors Alliance as a critical partner in ending childhood hunger. The Alliance is excited to continue to focus on diversifying our member mayors, ensuring continued engagement of different city sizes, demographics, geographies, and political ideologies.
Then, we had the opportunity to hear a panel discussion moderated by Sharon Moffatt, Policy Advisor from the CDC Foundation, with Mayor Giles and Mayor Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio, TX, regarding their progress on implementing the White House’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in their community. In their answers, the mayors not only provided updates but also touched upon how other mayors can embark on a similar effort to support the National Strategy. It was an incredible moment to witness local leaders sharing ideas and engaging others to ensure childhood hunger can be a thing of the past.
All in all, we’re excited to share these few updates about the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, which has grown to more than 300 mayors from all 50 states and Washington, DC. We continue to be amazed by the growth and collective action taken by the Mayors Alliance since its launch in January 2022. Over the coming months, we expect to lift up opportunities for Mayors to get involved at the federal level and continue to provide virtual opportunities for Mayors to share examples of how they address child food insecurity in their communities.