Meet No Kid Hungry’s Summer Nutrition Champion Stephanie Young

Aug 20, 2026

Summer vacation can be a time of increased stress for families facing food insecurity. Without reliable access to school meals, kids can be at risk of missing crucial nutrition to keep their brains and bodies functioning well during summer break. Programs like summer meals and Summer EBT (S-EBT) are crucial for keeping kids fed and well-nourished while school is out. No Kid Hungry Wisconsin and Hunger Task Force are proud to recognize Stephanie Young, Food Service Director for Beaver Dam Unified School District, as a member of the No Kid Hungry Summer EBT Champion Network. As a champion, Stephanie plays a vital role in sharing best practices, amplifying outreach and supporting equitable access to summer nutrition.

Why S-EBT Matters

As Food Service Director, Stephanie Young sees firsthand how S-EBT can support families and emphasizes the importance of this benefit.

“S-EBT in our community means getting extra funds out to our families to help them cover food costs for their kids. On top of the breakfast and lunch meals we provide every day of summer break, families can receive help with offsetting suppers and snacks.”

The Essential Role of Schools

Schools are trusted messengers of families and are well-positioned to get the word out about crucial nutrition resources like S-EBT.

“The role of schools in outreach for this program is so beneficial. In past years, parents and staff have asked us about this program as it does relate to the Free & Reduced/Direct Certification in the school year. They feel that they are correlated. Having a run down on how the program works, it’s a nice feeling that I can direct them to get the benefit of S-EBT,” shares Stephanie.

“In my district, I made a flyer that gave basic information about the program and where they could go online to apply if they hadn’t already qualified. We sent this flyer out to all our families before the school year was complete. We also posted it on our Food Service Facebook page for parents to see. During our summer meal distributions, we would also attach the information flyer to our emails to families as another reminder for them to take advantage of the S-EBT program,” she adds. The more that a school nutrition team can help these families out, the better they are at getting food to their kids!”

What You Can Do

No Kid Hungry Wisconsin and Hunger Task Force encourage education and anti-hunger advocates to follow Stephanie’s lead by promoting S-EBT in their communities. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) offers messaging and social media templates on their webpage .. Start simple by resharing information via newsletters and social media or in-person at summer meals sites.

Together, we can ensure that every child in Wisconsin has access to the nutrition they need to thrive all year long.

Hunger Task Force is Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader and Free & Local food bank. The organization’s core values are Dignity, Justice, Equity, Compassion and Stewardship. Hunger Task Force feeds people today by providing healthy and culturally appropriate food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force also works to end future hunger by advocating for strong public policies and nutrition programs at the local, state and federal level.