Operation Food Search Names Brianna Kinder as Fellow

ST. LOUIS - Sept. 18, 2018 - PRLog -- Operation Food Search (OFS), a non-profit hunger relief organization, recently hired Brianna Kinder as the second recipient to receive the Mary Ellen Gipson Fellowship.  The Fellowship – which was established as a gift to OFS' "Campaign to End Childhood Hunger" in the St. Louis region – inspires the next generation of leaders to tackle the complex issues related to food insecurity, dietary health, and poverty.

Kinder is a Master of Public Health student at Saint Louis University where she is pursuing a joint concentration in epidemiology and health management and policy with an emphasis in health disparities.  In this fellowship position, Kinder will create a case study for Breakfast After The Bell legislation.  She will assess this school program's potential impact in terms of measurable results for academic outcomes, federal reimbursement, and hunger-related health visits.  Kinder will also be involved with research, legislative outreach, advocacy, and education for OFS anti-hunger policies and projects.  This includes studying the significance that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) plays on a child's overall health and well-being, as well as how the program impacts work requirements, the economy, and healthcare costs.

"This Fellowship allows our agency to work with talented individuals who help us stay on the cutting edge of data and research," said Sunny Schaefer, Executive Director at Operation Food Search.  "We are excited to have Brianna and all that she brings to our organization so we can continue making a concerted effort to quickly end the region's childhood hunger issues ."

Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides food and nutrition education.  With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families with a range of programs and services proven to reduce food insecurity and increase access to healthy and affordable food.  The agency helps feed more than 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis – one-third of which are children – through a network of 330 community partners in 31 Missouri and Illinois counties.

Operation Food Search is located at 1644 Lotsie Blvd.  For more information, call (314) 726-5355 or visit http://www.OperationFoodSearch.org.