# Marion County schools director named 2026 Summer Hunger Hero **Published:** 2026-08-14T18:08:21.000Z **Source:** [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/08/no-kid-hungry-announces-marion-countys-jennifer-wheeler-as-2026-summer-hunger-hero/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/marion-county-schools-director-named-2026-summer-hunger-hero Jennifer Wheeler, nutrition director for Marion County Public Schools, has been recognized as a 2026 Summer Hunger Hero by [No Kid Hungry](https://www.nokidhungry.org/who-we-are/pressroom/no-kid-hungry-announces-2026-summer-hunger-heroes), a national nonprofit coalition fighting childhood hunger. Wheeler was among [10 honorees selected from nine states](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/08/no-kid-hungry-announces-marion-countys-jennifer-wheeler-as-2026-summer-hunger-hero/) for their work to ensure children have access to meals during the summer months, when school-provided breakfast and lunch programs typically end. This annual award recognizes individuals and organizations that go above and beyond to address summer hunger, one of the most challenging periods for food-insecure families. In the past year, Wheeler oversaw the distribution of more than 122,000 meals to families in Marion County through rural non-congregate summer meal programs. These programs deliver meals directly to families, accommodating those without reliable transportation or who may be reluctant to attend in-person feeding sites. "Jennifer Wheeler exemplifies the work of No Kid Hungry," said Ashley Roudebush, program manager of No Kid Hungry Kentucky. "She goes above and beyond and it's the kids that benefit." Wheeler has also been instrumental in expanding Summer EBT outreach in Marion County, a federal program that provides additional nutrition benefits to eligible families during the summer break. The effort ensures that all children, regardless of where they live, have access to summer nutrition resources. Summer is recognized as the hungriest season for children. When school ends, families lose access to free and reduced-price meals, and household budgets become stretched. Programs like Summer EBT and Summer Meals provide a critical lifeline during the break. ## Sources - [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/08/no-kid-hungry-announces-marion-countys-jennifer-wheeler-as-2026-summer-hunger-hero/) - [No Kid Hungry 2026 Summer Hunger Heroes announcement](https://www.nokidhungry.org/who-we-we-are/pressroom/no-kid-hungry-announces-2026-summer-hunger-heroes) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Teacher, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/08/no-kid-hungry-announces-marion-countys-jennifer-wheeler-as-2026-summer-hunger-hero/.