FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nate Beeler
Director, Communications & Marketing
Children’s Hunger Alliance
614-643-8051
nbeeler@childrenshungeralliance.org
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Star NFL quarterback Joe Burrow shared the stage with childcare providers, state legislators, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine at the 30th Annual Menu of Hope at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom on Thursday, March 6, 2025, helping to raise a record $530,000 for Children’s Hunger Alliance (CHA). The historic event also celebrated CHA’s 55th anniversary, with all funds going to support CHA’s work to increase children’s food security and nutrition education across Ohio.
As the event’s headliner, Burrow talked about his football career with the Cincinnati Bengals and growing up around high poverty and food insecurity in Athens County. The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner discussed how those experiences inspired him to give back by forming the Joe Burrow Foundation and attending Menu of Hope. Kroger Health President Colleen Lindholz led the conversation with Burrow, underscoring The Kroger Co.’s commitment to fighting childhood hunger in Ohio through its partnership with CHA.
This year’s Menu of Hope drew a record audience of nearly 800 corporate, government, and community supporters to learn more about CHA’s work throughout the state.
At the beginning of the program, Gov. DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine addressed the crowd by stressing the importance of proper nutrition for Ohio’s children and the critical role CHA plays in alleviating childhood hunger. Shortly afterward, CHA Governing Board Chair Aaron Ockerman bestowed Legislator of the Year honors on State Rep. Marilyn John (R-76th District) and State Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-15th District) for their advocacy on behalf of Ohio’s children.
Cleveland Clinic earned the Community Impact Award for its dedication to combating childhood food insecurity. Thanks to Cleveland Clinic’s multiyear pledge of support, CHA was able to expand its Weekend Meals program to childcare centers in the City of Cleveland.
CHA also honored six Programs of the Year:
- School Breakfast Program of the Year: Dawson-Bryant Local Schools (Lawrence County)
- Afterschool Program of the Year: Pickaway County YMCA (Pickaway County)
- Weekend Meals Program of the Year: Northridge Elementary School (Montgomery County)
- In-Home Childcare Provider of the Year: Phyllis Wilson (Cuyahoga County)
- Summer Meals Program of the Year: Salvation Army Citadel (Franklin County)
- Childcare Center of the Year: Gingerbread House Childcare, LLC (Hamilton County)
In the second half of the program, in-person and livestream attendees heard from CHA President and CEO Michelle M. Brown, who shared a message of hope highlighting the nearly 11 million nutritious meals CHA provided to more than 161,000 children across Ohio in 2024.
This year’s Menu of Hope was presented by AEP Foundation and emceed by ABC6 anchorwoman Jessica Ralston. Other major patrons were The Kroger Co., ABC 6/FOX 28, Nationwide Insurance, The Champion Companies, Amgen, Bob Evans Farms, Champion Foodservice, Grange Insurance, Hexion, The Robert Weiler Company, DLZ, Encova Insurance, Ohio Education Association, and U.S. Bank.
Nearly 1 in 5 children in Ohio are living with food insecurity, meaning they don’t know where their next meal will be. Menu of Hope supports CHA’s programs that provide children with healthy food wherever they are, every day of the week, all year long. Because no child should ever go hungry.
About Children’s Hunger Alliance
Since 1970, CHA has been leading the charge to break the cycle of childhood hunger in Ohio, providing healthy food and nutrition education to children wherever they are. CHA is the largest comprehensive statewide organization focused solely on children’s food security and nutrition education. In 2024 alone, CHA provided nearly 11 million meals to children while partnering with over 1,800 sites across 76 counties.
For more information, please visit www.childrenshungeralliance.org.
Connect with us on LinkedIn – @CHAohio, Instagram – @childrenshungeralliance, and Facebook – @CHAohio.
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