FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nate Beeler
Director, Communications & Marketing
Children’s Hunger Alliance
614-643-8051
nbeeler@childrenshungeralliance.org
Cleveland event raises funds to fight childhood hunger in NE Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Supporters of Children’s Hunger Alliance (CHA) showed up strong to lead the charge against childhood hunger in Ohio, donating nearly $43,000 at Side by Side 2026 on May 14 in Cleveland. The evening of food, fun, and partnership culminated in the surprise announcement by Cleveland Clinic of a $1.25 million grant to provide meals and nutrition education to young children in Northeast Ohio.
The event highlighted the importance of partnerships in ensuring kids in Cleveland receive the food they need to thrive. Leaders from Cleveland Clinic presented CHA CEO Michelle M. Brown with a ceremonial check for the grant, which expands Cleveland Clinic’s partnership with CHA to serve more weekend meals, fresh produce, healthy dinners, and critical Nutrition Education programming to kids in eight Northeast Ohio counties.
Brown was joined onstage by childcare center partner Michelle Beden-Payne, owner of Shell’s Learning Center in Maple Heights, Ohio, to discuss how pairing nutritious meals with food education sets children up for a lifetime of healthy eating. A CHA legislative partner, State Sen. Kent Smith (D-District 21), emceed the event. Smith is a co-sponsor of newly introduced legislation (S.B. 442) that would establish statewide food literacy standards for K-12 students.
During her formal remarks, Brown highlighted CHA’s statewide impact in 2025, which saw the organization serve 10.1 million meals to over 125,000 children across Ohio, providing them with healthy food and nutrition education right where they are, every day of the year.
Throughout the evening, Side by Side guests were treated to delicious food and drink pairings and participated in a silent auction and bourbon pull, all to benefit hungry children in Ohio. Over half a million children across the state — and nearly 180,000 in Northeast Ohio — are living with food insecurity, meaning they don’t have access to enough food to thrive.
Major sponsors of Side by Side 2026 included: Kaulig Capital LLC, Majestic Steel USA, Nordson Corporation, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, RPM International Inc., and Sherwin Williams.
About Children’s Hunger Alliance
Since 1970, CHA has been leading the charge to end childhood hunger in Ohio, providing nutritious meals and food education to children right where they are, every day of the year. CHA is the largest comprehensive statewide organization focused solely on children’s food security and nutrition education. In 2025, CHA provided 10.1 million meals to 125,000 children while partnering with nearly 1,600 sites across 74 counties.
For more information, please visit www.chaohio.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn (@chaohio), Instagram (@childrenshungeralliance), and Facebook (@chaohio).
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