Cities are on the frontlines of responding to the short and long-term impacts of hunger in their communities and mayors have witnessed firsthand the hardship their constituents face. On this episode of Add Passion and Stir, we speak with two mayors leading the fight against child hunger. Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond, Virginia and Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona are the inaugural Chair and Vice Chair of the new Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger. The Alliance is a nonpartisan coalition of more than 50 mayors working in partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger.
Members of the Alliance will engage in collective advocacy to address child hunger at state and federal levels. Mayors Stoney and Giles have a lot of hope about what this group can do to transcend partisan politics.
“I think sometimes people try to define an issue like childhood hunger as a political issue between Democrats and Republicans. When you’re in this role as mayor, you find out that this is about humanity and how we treat our children and our families with dignity,” says Mayor Stoney.
“The biggest tool that I have in my toolbox is the ability to convene… mayors are in a uniquely powerful position to connect the needs of the community with the resources of the community,” Mayor Giles remarks.
Listen to Mayors Stoney and Giles interview with Billy Shore here.