On April 11, No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America, and its supporters gathered for Night Out for No Kid Hungry at The Rolling Greens in Downtown Los Angeles. Bringing together two of the city’s most celebrated culinary events for a cause, guests enjoyed a one-of-a-kind dining experience at The Dinner with Emmy-nominated actor, comedian, and producer Anthony Anderson as emcee, or experienced The Tasting, a lively sampling event featuring the most-sought-after culinary creations from LA’s top chefs and mixologists.
At the dinner, Dr. Maribel Garcia, Superintendent of El Monte City School District, was honored for her outstanding contributions to feeding kids in California. The evening concluded with an after party, hosted by celebrity chefs Duff Goldman and Michael Voltaggio, featuring sweet treats from the city’s top pastry chefs as well as moving and electrifying musical performances by singer-songwriter, Oscar-nominated, Grammy award and Golden Globe winning actress Andra Day; rapper and producer Warren G, and DJ and co-founder of Pangea Sound SuperNova.
“I’m just a kid from Compton who had a dream. I believe all kids deserve to dream big and be who they want to be, but that starts with access to one basic thing: food,” said Anthony Anderson, Emmy-nominated actor, comedian, and producer. “Night Out for No Kid Hungry is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together to support our nation’s kids.”
No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. After 25 years of investing in local nonprofits and identifying effective strategies, Share Our Strength launched No Kid Hungry in 2010. Today, 1 in 5 kids in the United States—14 million children—are living with hunger, an increase from a year ago.
Some children are missing meals; others face daily uncertainty about food as their parents make tradeoffs between buying groceries and paying bills. But for so many children to go without adequate food in the United States is a tragedy — and a crisis.
The owners of Poppy & Seed and Poppy & Rose, Chef Michael & Kwini Reed, were featured chefs for this annual event, which they have done countless times. “This is the 6th or 7th year we have done this, and we are excited every year we are invited to participate,” Kwini said about the event. “Since the inception, we truly felt this event resonated not only with my husband and me, but the message is exactly what Poppy & Seed is about: helping the community and supporting the youth.” Poppy & Seed was established in 2021 in Anaheim, and Poppy & Rose was established in 2014.
They hand-deliver fresh meals to displaced residents at the end of the day, ensuring no food waste. They are also partnered with Brown Bag Lady and City of Hope. New for 2023 is The UNI Coalition: We’re in This Together, a community youth teaching kitchen that helps coordinate lessons and internships for younger chefs who might not have access to culinary school.