It's Here. 💥
Today, we opened the doors on something big: the Hunger Action Heroes Unite! National Challenge, a free nationwide contest for students in grades 4 through 9. It's open in all 50 states and D.C., and we're aiming for 1,000 or more young changemakers to step up.
Every Kid Can Be a Hero Here
Hunger and food waste aren't someone else's problem to solve. They're a systems problem, and kids are exactly the right people to help fix it. One in five kids in the U.S. faces hunger (Feeding America), even as 29 percent of food in this country goes unsold and uneaten every year (ReFED). That's 114 billion meals' worth of food, and a lot of it disappears in a place kids know better than anyone: the school cafeteria, where an estimated $1.7 billion in food goes to waste each year (World Wildlife Fund).
That's not a reason to feel bad. It's a reason to act. And kids already know how.
How the Challenge Works
Students pick an action against hunger or food waste in their own community. Big or small, it counts: volunteering at a local food bank, launching a food rescue effort, cutting cafeteria waste, starting a school compost program. However they decide to lead is up to them.
Here's the mission, step by step:
- Take action. Pick a way to fight hunger and food waste
- Document it. Up to five photos and a video up to three minutes long.
- Reflect. Answer three questions: what you did, what you learned, and what happened.
- Submit. A parent or guardian enters on the student's behalf by March 12, 2027.
Entries are open now through March 12, 2027. Judging runs through April 7, 2027, and National Champions get announced April 28, 2027, on National Superhero Day.
What's at Stake
One student in each division (grades 4-6 and grades 7-9) will be named National Champion and win:
- A paid trip to San Diego for the winner and a guardian, including Comic-Con® 2027 (six days, five nights, July 21-26, with travel, hotel, meals, and four-day badges plus Preview Night)
- A $750 college scholarship (529 savings plan required)
- A $3,000 impact grant for their school
- $1,000 to donate to a hunger relief or food rescue organization of their choice
- A feature in the Heroes in Action Playbook
Full prize details and eligibility are in the Official Rules at hungeractionheroes.org/challenge.
Backed by a Coalition Built for This
The National Challenge is sponsored by Feeding San Diego, presented by Stoke Tracks, alongside founding coalition partners, including Let's Go Compost, Lunch Out of Landfills, ReFED, and World Wildlife Fund's Food Waste Warriors. Together, they bring years of hands-on experience in hunger relief, food rescue, and waste reduction, all pointed at the same goal: putting real tools in kids' hands.
"We built Stoke Tracks so kids could leave something worth following. The National Challenge is the same idea applied to hunger and food waste: kids leaving the world better than they found it. That's exactly the kind of mark worth making," said Vanessa Whitley, co-founder of Stoke Tracks.
"Real heroes lead with empathy. They notice when someone needs help or food needs to be rescued, and they act. The National Challenge invites kids everywhere to protect people and the planet. Even superheroes need help sometimes. Real kids, real heroes, real action against hunger and food waste starts now," said Dana Williams, Director of Social Impact for Hunger Action Heroes Unite!
Start your mission
Students, educators, and families can learn more and enter at hungeractionheroes.org/challenge.
No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Contest begins September 1, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. PT and ends March 12, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Open to legal adult U.S. residents of the 50 United States and D.C. whose child is enrolled in grades 4-9 at time of entry. Entries submitted by parent/legal guardian only. One entry per child. Void where prohibited. See full Official Rules at hungeractionheroes.org/challenge. Sponsor: Feeding San Diego, 9477 Waples St., Ste 100, San Diego, CA, 92121.
