When local leaders are committed to ending childhood hunger, the results soon follow.
And this has been the case for hundreds of children in the city of Mesa, Ariz. With the support and leadership of their Mayor, John Giles, a mom-started and volunteer-run food bank, AZBrainfood, delivers over 3,000 bags of food to children in the area every week. The bags of food are discreetly placed in the backpacks of elementary school children who might otherwise miss meals on the weekend. Last week, they celebrated the delivery of their one millionth bag to schools in Mesa and nearby cities.
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Mayor Giles serves on the executive board of AZBrainfood and he is also the chair of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, a nonpartisan coalition of more than 174 Mayors from 46 states and Washington, DC, working to ensure all kids have the meals they need to thrive, a partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.
“No community goes untouched by food insecurity, and communities large and small are grappling with issues made worse by the pandemic,” said Mayor Giles. “Mayors and local leaders across the U.S. have a role to play in addressing hunger for people of all ages.
Recently, Mayor Giles participated in the kickoff event for the White House Challenge to End Childhood Hunger and Build Resilient Communities. He joined other local and national leaders like Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, members of congress and chef Jose Andres among others.
Speaking at the event, Mayor Giles shared how his passion and commitment reached a new level at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Prior to the pandemic I was aware of food insecurity and I was actively supporting food banks and nutrition programs in schools, but the issue became even more apparent in March of 2020,” he explained, describing the long lines of people at food distributions at a time when people were afraid to leave their homes. “We did a needs assessment and food insecurity was at the top of the list… It was eye-opening how significantly we had underestimated the significance of this issue.”
Since then, Mayor Giles has become a lead advocate for ending hunger in his community and across America. He understands that the resources are there and this is a problem that can be solved, but it’s not up to just a local government to take head on; it requires the efforts of the whole community. Mayors bring a superpower to the table.
“The special power that people like me have is the power to convene,” he shared. “So I need to preach to my brothers and sisters that have colleagues at the local level and in local government to invite the non-profits, the faith communities and the federal government… to rally resources and to be the quarterbacks. In and of itself, I can’t do much on my own, but most people don’t say no when the Mayor invites them to a meeting.”
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To continue impacting families, Mayor Giles used his power to convene to connect AZBrainfood with McCarthy Building Companies, who supported the non-profit in the construction of a ramada to support their operations. Mayor Giles cut the ribbon on the new ramada at the one-millionth bag celebration event in the company of AZBrainfood executive director Ruth Collis and Mesa Public schools superintendent, Dr. Andi Fourlis.
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Mayor Giles has kept child insecurity a top priority and the community has felt empowered to take action.
There is no excuse for children to go hungry in our country. Yet it happens – every day, in every community. The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger continues to tap on the individual and collective leadership of Mayors to take meaningful actions to end hunger in cities nationwide. The Mayors Alliance invitation to open to all mayors in the United States. Learn more about our members and how you can join.
Photos in This Article Credit: Tim Hacker/Mesa Public Schools