About This Episode

In this episode of Add Passion and Stir, Billy Shore speaks with George Kelemen of Share Our Strength and Jennifer Wheeler of Marion County Public Schools in Kentucky about what childhood hunger looks like when school is out for the summer. They discuss how Summer EBT, non-congregate feeding, and local school nutrition teams are helping close the gap for families who rely on school meals during the year. Jennifer shares powerful stories from the ground in Kentucky, while George explains the bipartisan policy work that expanded summer access nationwide. This conversation shows how policy, logistics, and school leadership can work together to feed more kids with dignity and consistency.    

Resources and Mentions:

George Kelemen

George Kelemen

Senior Vice President for Partnerships, Campaigns, and Advocacy

As the Senior Vice President for Partnerships, Campaigns, and Advocacy, George oversees Share Our Strength's strategies to end childhood hunger in the United States through partnerships, campaigns, and government relations. He is responsible for all advocacy efforts on state and federal legislative priorities; the direction and implementation of our state-based No Kid Hungry campaigns; and coalition building efforts with nonprofits, government agencies, and community organizations to increase participation in the federal nutrition programs.
George brings over 25 years of association, advocacy and coalition-building experience at the local, state, and federal levels. Before joining Share Our Strength, he served as Executive Director of the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT). Previously, he was CEO of The Texas Retailers Association and held advocacy leadership roles with Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA), the American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworK (ACS CAN) and AARP.
Originally from Houston, George began his career working in Texas, in various political and government affairs roles, as well as in state government. He has spent most of the past 20 years working at the national level and maintains a network of bipartisan contacts and relationships in Washington, DC and across the US. George is a graduate of the University of Houston, with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and he has native fluency in Spanish. George and his family live in Austin, Texas.

Jennifer Wheeler

Jennifer Wheeler

School Nutrition Director

Jennifer Wheeler has served as the School Nutrition Director for Marion County Schools in Lebanon, Kentucky, since 2017. Prior to her current role, she spent 15 years teaching High School Family and Consumer Sciences at Marion County High School, followed by 7 years in administration at the same school.
During her tenure as School Nutrition Director, Jennifer has led several initiatives she is especially proud of, including implementing a Farm-to-School program, expanding the district’s focus on whole and scratch-made foods, and strengthening summer feeding programs to better serve students and families.
Jennifer also currently serves as President-Elect of the Kentucky School Nutrition Association.

Summer Meals

When the last bell rings at the end of the school year, many kids are excited for the summer ahead. But for millions of kids across America who receive school meals, summer can be the hungriest time of year. Now, thanks to the work of No Kid Hungry, there’s a federal summer meals program to help families buy food during the summer. And there’s another new program that will help kids this summer: rural communities can now offer meals delivery and pick-up services, instead of requiring children to travel to the sites where the meals are served. Together, these new summer meal programs could help as many as 31 million children in the United States.