Salem Mayor's Office Joins National Child Hunger Initiative

SALEM, MA — The Salem Mayor's Office said Kim Driscoll has joined a coalition of more than 50 cities nationwide in a new initiative to battle childhood hunger.

The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger believes "there is no excuse for children to go hungry in this country" even though there are 12 million children considered food insecure.

"The need for a coordinated and thoughtful approach to tackling food insecurity in our communities has never been more apparent," Driscoll said in a city statement announcing her as the lone Massachusetts mayor participating in the launch of the program. "As we rebuild from this pandemic, access to nutritious food for every child and family is at the top of every city and town’s list of concerns.

"Fortunately, in Salem, we have spent years laying a strong foundation to address these challenges. Now, as we work on equitable recovery measures for our neighborhoods, our schools, and our families, it's clear that fighting childhood hunger is an essential priority, and we’re ready to take it on."

The Mayors Alliance aims to "harness the collective expertise of mayors from across the political spectrum to continue driving change at the state and national level."

Driscoll points to her policies to help address hunger in the city, including the "Salem Food for All" program to coordinate a community-based response, year-round free breakfast and lunch programs in Salem Public Schools and pandemic response programs that provided free meals to residents in need through the Salem Food Pantry.

Salem has also begun the Mack Park Farm project that in the last two years has grown more than 12,000 pounds of fresh produce provided to Salem families at no charge.

More information on the Alliance can be found here and more information on Salem Food for All can be found here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)