During NFL Draft week, a Pittsburgh food event is helping feed thousands of local students

As Pittsburgh prepares for crowds and national attention on the eve of the NFL Draft, a culinary event called Taste of the Draft will bring together more than 20 local restaurants, Pittsburgh Steelers alumni and community partners inside the Tower at PNC Plaza.

Proceeds from the event, hosted by celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern, will support GENYOUth. This national nonprofit focuses on fighting hunger and helping children live well-nourished, physically active lives.

The event will feel like a celebration, complete with tasting stations and football legends. But the issue at its heart is a pressing one: “One in five kids are waking up every day wondering where their next meal will come from,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, CEO of GENYOUth.

That statistic holds true nationally and in southwestern Pennsylvania, where food insecurity shows up as a pattern. It is often not a single crisis, but a string of missed breakfasts, rushed mornings and inconsistent access to meals. For many children, school becomes the most reliable place to eat, but that system has gaps, too.

Zimmern points to a broader disconnect in how child hunger is understood.

“I always ask rooms of people: Who here is for children being hungry, or for them having worse outcomes in life? Nobody raises their hand,” he said. “Yet there hasn’t been an administration in Washington, D.C. that has done anything meaningful about eliminating childhood hunger in America.”

He noted it would cost around $17–18 billion a year, a tiny fraction of the federal budget. He also pointed to the long-term consequences of inaction, noting that the country spends heavily treating diet-related diseases while failing to address hunger at its root.

“If people really understood the cost to our nation, we spend almost a trillion dollars a year fighting the big four processed food–related diseases. No child ever got juvenile diabetes from eating too much broccoli or salmon,” he said.

“And yet we are somehow okay with keeping children hungry,” he added. “We’re choosing to give children less opportunity, poorer outcomes, and then we pay for it — in healthcare costs, in law enforcement, in every way. It becomes a self-sustaining, unvirtuous cycle.”

HELPING LOCAL KIDS

Through Taste of the Draft, GENYOUth aims to break that cycle here in the Pittsburgh area by funding 91 school nutrition grants across Western Pennsylvania and Erie County. (Why 91? This is the 91st NFL Draft.) 

Each grant is designed to meet schools where they are, addressing the logistical challenges that often prevent students from participating in meal programs. Instead of asking kids to find time to get to the cafeteria, schools will receive mobile breakfast carts, refrigeration units and point-of-sale systems that allow meals to be distributed at school entrances, in hallways or even in classrooms.

Krautheim, a registered dietitian by training, said the nonprofit’s work is grounded in the idea that the problem is food access, not just food availability. Access might be disrupted for a host of reasons: Students may arrive too late for breakfast service, bus schedules cut into cafeteria time, and other logistical issues. Older students, in particular, may avoid the cafeteria altogether because of stigma of getting free meals.

One of the most consistent barriers schools face is bureaucracy, despite their willingness to address these challenges, Krautheim says. Even relatively small purchases can be difficult to navigate through school budgets and approval processes. GENYOUth’s approach removes barriers by rethinking how meals are delivered inside schools.

“We purchased the equipment and we will give the equipment directly to the school,” she said. 

The carts are designed to feel welcoming, sometimes resembling miniature food trucks, with bright graphics that make them visible and approachable. They carry fresh meals, including milk stored in rolling refrigerated units, and in some cases connect directly with school meal tracking systems.

Children who start the day with breakfast are more likely to perform better academically, particularly in reading and math. When kids are fed, schools report fewer nurse visits, fewer behavioral disruptions and lower rates of absenteeism.

When they don’t eat, it changes how kids feel and function throughout the day. Teachers and caregivers often notice patterns like headaches, stomach aches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and irritability when students aren’t getting their required nutrition.

“Kids who don’t eat breakfast in the morning typically do not make up for those lost nutrients throughout the day,” Krautheim said. And “hungry often becomes angry, just like in adults.” 

FEEDING KIDS AND LISTENING TO THEM

For kids living in food insecurity, a program like this is a lifeline.

A national study in JAMA Network Open found that school meals have the highest overall diet quality among foods children consume, outperforming meals from restaurants, stores and other sources.

GENYOUth’s work has also revealed that participation increases when students feel a sense of ownership over what they eat. So the organization has learned to incorporate youth voice into its programs, recognizing that students are more likely to engage when meals reflect their preferences and cultural experiences.

In some cases, that has meant introducing options like smoothies — simple, familiar foods that increase participation while still meeting nutritional goals. Alongside nutrition, each grant tied to Taste of the Draft includes physical activity resources, specifically NFL FLAG-in-School kits that give students structured opportunities to move during the day. 

“Food and movement are inextricably linked,” Krautheim said. Good nutrition and physical activity are foundational to preventing chronic health issues and supporting cognitive development. Schools, in particular, play a critical role by providing a consistent, accessible environment for both.

“It’s a safe place to play,” she said. “They don’t have to pay for after-school fees. They don’t need extra transportation.”

Many students do not have opportunities outside of school to participate in organized sports or structured physical activity. Giving them that does more than just help with physical health. In a recent national survey conducted by GENYOUth, schools that prioritized both nutrition and movement (creating what Krautheim described as a “culture of wellness”) reported significantly lower rates of chronic absenteeism.

These grants are expected to expand access to approximately 13 million school meals over the course of a single school year, reaching more than 50,000 students. The majority of those meals will be breakfast, though the equipment can also support lunch distribution and meals at after-school programs, helping schools adapt to their specific needs.

Fresh, safe and nutritious foods will be finding kids exactly where they are.