No Child Should Face an Empty Plate

As school lets out for summer, millions of children lose access to the free or reduced-price meals they rely on during the school year. In Georgia alone, more than 60% of public school students qualify for free or reduced meals—and when school cafeterias close, so does a critical source of nutrition.

This summer, Second Helpings Atlanta is launching the Empty Plate Challenge to raise awareness and support for our work to end food insecurity across metro Atlanta. The 10-week campaign,beginning this week, May 27, 2025, invites our community to take action in a simple but powerful way: by sharing an empty plate on social media and making a donation or commitment to volunteer to help fill real plates for local families.

Why Summer Hunger Hits Hard

Nationally, 1 in 6 children face hunger—and in Georgia, that number is even higher in some counties. When school is out, access to consistent, nutritious food becomes uncertain for thousands of children in our region.

We visited Toco Hills Community Alliance, one of our key partner agencies. They shared that the number of families seeking assistance increases by roughly 25% over the summer, and more than 50% of those families have two or more children. Unlike during the school year when kids are in class, summer is also when volunteers and staff see the children themselves—riding along as parents pick up food, a visible reminder of just how critical these meals are.

How Second Helpings Atlanta Responds

Thanks to our food donor network, including partners grocery stores, event spaces, restaurants  and more, Second Helpings Atlanta rescues thousands of pounds of nutritious food every week and delivers it directly to partner agencies —free of charge.

At Toco Hills Community Alliance alone, we make at least 15 deliveries each week, helping ensure that 40% of every food box is filled with fresh produce, not just shelf-stable goods. This fresh food is essential for growing kids—and it would likely go to waste without our food rescue efforts.

Join the Challenge

The Empty Plate Challenge is simple:

1. Post a photo of an empty plate on social media.

2. Share why you care about summer hunger.

3. Tag 3 friends to do the same.

4. Donate to Second Helpings Atlanta’s Summer Hunger Campaign.

5. Use the hashtag #EmptyPlateChallenge and tag @SecondHelpingsAtlanta.

Every share, every tag, and every dollar makes a difference. Just $25 is an entire month’s worth of meals for a child facing food-insecurity. 

👉 Join the Challenge & Donate Today
👉 Follow us on Instagram and Facebook

Let’s come together this summer to make sure no child in Atlanta has to face an empty plate.