Fighting Food Insecurity: Recommendations from Child Nutrition Program Directors in Alabama's Black Belt

Public school students in the Black Belt of Alabama suffer from food insecurity disproportionately compared with national peers. Results of a recent mixed methods study indicated food insecurity levels that were three times the national average, with very low food security an alarming 11 times the national average. In the fight against hunger in our public schools, no professionals are more valuable than the Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) staff, headed by the local CNP director. The qualitative portion of the mixed methods study solicited input from CNP directors in 14 Black Belt counties in Alabama. The recommendations from structured interviews suggest an intentional,coordinated, and multifaceted approach to fight against food insecurity in our rural public schools.