Kroger Foundation, Freestore Foodbank, and First Book Launch Literacy Grants for Summer Meal Sites to Support Academic Growth and Healthy Development

Pilot program boosts summer reading alongside foodbanks in Ohio communities

CINCINNATI, July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- First Book is thrilled to announce the launch of Cincinnati Summer Reading Pilot in collaboration with The Kroger Foundation and Freestore Foodbank. The pilot program is bolstering literacy at local foodbanks in the Greater Cincinnati area to foster healthy development and academic growth for children in need. The summer program will infuse 2,500+ free books into Ohio communities at a time of the year when access to high-quality books is particularly limited. The Cincinnati Summer Reading Pilot will combine Freestore Foodbank's effective approach to addressing food insecurity through healthy meals with the educational supports of First Book to ensure academic growth during the summer months, encouraging community access to and participation in two key pillars of childhood development.  

This program joins the financial and social impact focus of The Kroger Foundation and Freestore Foodbank on Ohio families with First Book's national educational expertise and network of more than 575,000 educators. First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise and leading organization in educational equity with the largest online community of educators serving kids living in low-income communities. Freestore Foodbank is one of Ohio's largest foodbanks distributing more than 37 million meals annually with the goal of ending hunger across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana through nutritious food distribution, access to support services, and a comprehensive pathway from crisis to stability.

Together, with the support of The Kroger Foundation, Kroger's private foundation, this pilot program will offer a framework for addressing multi-pronged social issues in communities of need. Nutritious meals are considerable factors in the cognitive and behavioral development of young children that can positively impact learning and memory. Summer meal sites present a holistic solution to the multi-faceted challenges facing too many Cincinnati families. This pilot program simultaneously combats food insecurity while fostering literacy development at a time when students are most susceptible to downturns in reading proficiency.

"First Book was founded as a result of my time volunteering in a soup kitchen reading to young children, where I witnessed firsthand the transformative power a book and meal can have on a child," said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. "While food banks have always been a part of our educator network, it is especially poignant for First Book to be returning to that intersection by collaborating with The Kroger Foundation after more than 30 years of nurturing young minds and serving communities in need. This pilot program builds on what we have long known -- that the challenges of literacy, learning and food insecurity are uniquely intertwined. Together, we will bolster the building blocks of healthy child development and eliminate the barriers to lifelong health and learning."

Access to high-quality, affordable books is a year-round struggle for many families, but limited access to books during the summer months introduces an additional threat to academic achievement, especially for students in low-income communities. The summer break can result in learning loss of up to three months of reading proficiency, setting students who have struggled to recover from pandemic-related learning gaps further back. Fortunately, summer reading programs are proven interventions to combat learning loss while students are out of school and food banks offer a trusted access point to reach families in need. This collaboration is committed to supporting literacy development during summer months by offering fun programming and book giveaways at the same Freestore Foodbank locations where families receive healthy meals.  

"For children and families in need, the summer months can be a time of instability," said Trisha Rayner, chief development officer and VP of external affairs at Freestore Foodbank. "With students out of school, academic and food security supports often fall away. In collaboration with First Book and The Kroger Foundation, Freestore Foodbank is thrilled to continue to serve our community members during this time and offer our enriching programming that helps kids flourish while they are out of school."

"Every year, 229 million tons of surplus food goes unsold or uneaten in the U.S. And yet, one in five children in Ohio still face hunger," said Jenifer Moore, corporate affairs manager for the Cincinnati/Dayton division of Kroger. "This new collaboration with Freestore Foodbank and First Book is another innovative solution in which Kroger is working to create a better future for children in the communities we serve."

As part of the long-term goals of this pilot program, First Book Research & Insights will conduct a survey of the summer initiative to measure impact and develop best practices. The research arm of the organization will aggregate the voices of community members and book distribution organizers to distill the experiences of the program's participants and inform scalable solutions as this critical work continues to expand.

About First Book
Education transforms lives. First Book is building a world where every child has access to a quality education. We work to remove barriers to education and level the playing field for kids in need. At the heart of our work are the more than 575,000 members of the First Book Network, the largest online community of individual educators, professionals and volunteers dedicated to supporting children in need across North America. This Network is the key to creating systemic change. Through our research arm, First Book Research & Insights, we conduct studies that aggregate their voices to identify barriers to equitable education and inform strategic solutions. To address their needs, we provide free and low-cost books, resources, and access to leading experts through the First Book Marketplace, which uses aggregated buying power to support this underserved community. Founded in Washington D.C. in 1992 as a nonprofit social enterprise, First Book is dedicated to eliminating barriers to learning and inspiring young minds. Learn more at www.firstbook.org and visit our award-winning eCommerce website at fbmarketplace.org.

About Cincinnati/Dayton Kroger Division
The Kroger Family of Companies has been serving communities across the U.S. for more than 135 years. Kroger's Cincinnati/Dayton division operates food stores, pharmacies, fuel centers, warehouses and offices in Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Indiana, and Greater Dayton. We are dedicated to Our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit™ while creating a world with Zero Hunger | Zero Waste.

About Freestore Foodbank
Freestore Foodbank is one of the 200 food bank members of Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Freestore Foodbank's mission is to improve lives by eliminating hunger in partnership with our community, and our vision is to create a hunger-free, healthy, and thriving community. Last year, the Freestore Foodbank provided over 37.7 million meals with 613 community partners, trained over 152 in job training programs, and served 165,000 individuals monthly in the 20-county service area of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.  For more information, please visit www.freestorefoodbank.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Ian Kenison
[email protected]

SOURCE First Book