“The No Kid Hungry Campaign.”

(New York, N.Y.) The ambitious goal is to end childhood hunger in New York and across the nation by 2015. Actor and anti-hunger advocate Jeff Bridges is hoping the No Kid Hungry Campaign will help accomplish that goal. Bridges, along with governors and others interested in the cause, kicked off the national effort this month.

Bridges says there are 17 million kids across the nation, including three out of every 20 in New York, who need reliable access to food. He says one of the solutions requires no extra funding.

“Make better use of the programs that are already in existence, and that’s what this new campaign that I’m the national chairperson of is all about, the No Kid Hungry Campaign.”

Bridges says the program keys on access to nutrition education and to existing federal programs such as SNAP (formerly food stamps) and the School Lunch and Breakfast programs. The plan was developed by Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger.

Bridges says there’s over a billion dollars available to states that’s not getting used.

Shea Levin of Every Child Matters on Long Island says SNAP (the food stamp program) is a prime example.

“So we need more organizations and schools sending home information that these programs are out there.”

The No Kid Hungry Campaign is aimed at breaking down barriers to participation in programs that are already in place. Levin says, in turn, hunger is a barricade to learning.

“A child sitting at her desk that’s hungry can’t concentrate on her schoolwork. She can’t even understand what the teacher is saying because she’s feeling the hunger pains in her stomach.”

Organizers say the No Kid Hungry Campaign is aimed at creating a public-private partnership that will close the gaps between existing food resources and the families who need them.

You can learn more at nokidhungry.org