KIDS ACROSS AMERICA INVITED TO LEAD REAL ACTION AGAINST HUNGER AND FOOD WASTE IN HUNGER ACTION HEROES UNITE! NATIONAL CHALLENGE

Starting September 1, the nationwide contest invites students in grades 4 through 9 across all 50 states and D.C., to take action, with the goal of reaching 1,000 or more young changemakers.

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hi-Res Photo link, Password: FSDMedia

Today Hunger Action Heroes Unite! (HAHU) opened its National Challenge, a free nationwide contest inviting students in grades 4 through 9 across all 50 states and D.C., to take real action against hunger and food waste. The challenge is backed by a founding coalition of Feeding San Diego, Let's Go Compost, Lunch Out of Landfills, ReFED, and World Wildlife Fund's Food Waste Warriors. Entries open September 1, 2026, and close March 12, 2027, with National Champions announced on April 28, 2027, National Superhero Day. 

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The need is urgent, and young people are ready to meet it. One in five children in the U.S. face hunger, even as 29 percent of food goes unsold and uneaten every year, equivalent to 114 billion meals' worth of food. Much of that waste happens in places kids know well. An estimated $1.7 billion worth of food goes to waste in school cafeterias each year, a place where kids have the power to change the outcome.

The stakes for young changemakers are high. One student in each division, grades 4 through 6 and grades 7 through 9, has the opportunity to be named National Champion and win a paid trip to San Diego for the winner plus a guardian to experience Comic-Con ® 2027 (six days, five nights: July 21-26, including travel, hotel, meals, and four-day badges plus Preview Night for San Diego Comic-Con), a $750 college scholarship (requires a 529 savings plan account), a $3,000 impact grant for their school, $1,000 to donate to a hunger relief or food rescue organization of their choice, and a feature in the Heroes in Action Playbook. Full prize details, approximate retail values, and eligibility requirements are available in the Official Rules found here. 

To enter, students pick a way to take action against hunger or food waste in their own community, big or small. Actions might include volunteering with a local food bank, launching a food rescue effort, reducing cafeteria waste, or starting a school composting program. Students document their story with up to five photos and a video up to three minutes long, then reflect by answering three short questions: what they did, why they did it, and what happened. A parent or guardian submits the entry by March 12, 2027. Judging runs from the start of the Contest through April 7, 2027.

"We built Stoke Tracks so kids could leave something worth following. The National Challenge is the same idea applied to hunger and food waste: kids leaving the world better than they found it. That's exactly the kind of mark worth making," said Vanessa Whitley, co-founder of Stoke Tracks.

The National Challenge is presented by Stoke Tracks with founding coalition partners bringing years of combined expertise in hunger relief, food rescue, and waste reduction.

"Real heroes lead with empathy. They notice when someone needs help or food needs to be rescued, and they act. The National Challenge invites kids everywhere to protect people and the planet. Even superheroes need help sometimes. Real kids, real heroes, real action against hunger and food waste starts now," said Dana Williams, Director of Social Impact for Hunger Action Heroes Unite!

The National Challenge extends HAHU's mission by turning students into activists in their own communities.

Students, educators, and families can learn more at hungeractionheroes.org/challenge.

OFFICIAL RULES: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Contest begins on September 1, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. PT and ends on March 12, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Open only to legal adult U.S. residents of the fifty (50) United States and D.C. whose child is enrolled in grades 4 through 9 at the time of entry. Entries must be submitted by a parent or legal guardian on behalf of the child. One prize per contest division: grades 4-6 and grades 7-9. Prize travel must be completed between July 21 and July 26, 2027. Many will enter, only two (2) will win. Limit one (1) entry per child. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules at hungeractionheroes.org/challenge, including additional eligibility restrictions, prize descriptions/restrictions/ARVs, and complete details. Sponsor: Feeding San Diego, 9477 Waples St., Ste 100, San Diego, CA, 92121.

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Food Security in the United States (via Feeding America, feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/child-hunger-facts); ReFED, "Food Waste: The Problem" (2024 data, published April 2026), refed.org/food-waste/the-problem/; World Wildlife Fund, Food Waste Warriors report.

ABOUT HUNGER ACTION HEROES UNITE!

Hunger Action Heroes Unite! (HAHU) is a social enterprise of Feeding San Diego, a partner food bank of Feeding America, equipping the next generation with the understanding, empathy, and confidence to care for people and the planet. Through an original comic book and a standards-aligned curriculum for upper elementary and middle school, HAHU teaches students about hunger, food waste, and the power of empathy in action, inviting them to become real-life Hunger Action Heroes through a hands-on, project-based learning experience. The comic book was written by Dr. Janina Scarlet, a licensed clinical psychologist and creator of Superhero Therapy®, and illustrated by Thom Zahler, known for Love and Capes. All proceeds support Feeding San Diego's hunger relief and food rescue programs. Learn more at hungeractionheroes.org.

SOURCE Feeding San Diego