Sponsor Spotlight: Senta Hester with Our Daily Bread CACFP

While operating her family home, a CACFP sponsor in Tennessee contacted Senta to educate her about the CACFP and get her enrolled. After doing some research and recognizing the impact the program has on child care programs and the children they serve, Senta was drawn to do more than just participate in the CACFP as a provider and instead she launched her own CACFP sponsorship.

 

“I realized I could contribute in a meaningful way by helping those in-home child care providers. It became very personal to me because I saw the need for quality care for children in addition to the nutritious meals. So, I could come alongside the provider and offer that support that they needed.”

 

For the first four years, Our Daily Bread only sponsored family child care homes in East Tennessee, but they eventually began sponsoring centers and ARAS programs and expanded to become a state-wide sponsor. In 2018, Our Daily Bread begin sponsoring the CACFP in Kentucky now, the organization has grown from a team of one to a team of 27 employees across two states.

Despite their growth, Our Daily Bread still prioritizes strong relationships with their providers and their team. In fact, that’s one of the reasons Senta believes they are such a successful sponsor. Rather than seeing their sites as clients, they recognize providers as partners. Our Daily Bread works to ensure that their providers feel supported and understood by providing timely guidance and technical assistance, in addition to clear expectations from Our Daily Bread.

Our Daily Bread also prioritizes strong relationships with their staff, which is another key factor in their success. Senta encourages her team to see their work as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young children.

 

“I always tell my team, ‘Every day that you come into work you should feel like this is a service that we “get to” do every single day for every single child.’ That’s what’s so exciting – teaching children early childhood nutritious eating habits that they take with them throughout their lifetime. It’s too late by the time they get to middle school or even by the time they get to elementary school. So that’s what the CACFP is doing.”

 

Consistent access to well-balanced, nutritious meals supports children’s learning, development and overall well-being. The healthy eating habits that children develop through the CACFP help prevent early childhood obesity and chronic diseases and reduce food insecurity. Senta highlighted how the impact of the CACFP expands beyond just the child care setting, but also into their homes.

 

“These are children with limited access and we’re not only serving them in child care settings, but we’re also sending this information home and hope that it carries over to the parents who are also learning how to affordably serve their children nutritious meals.”

 

Our Daily Bread is committed to providing holistic services to children and their families to reduce food insecurity and ensure children have the nutrition they need for proper growth and development. That’s why they have decided to further expand their reach by sponsoring the Summer Food Service Program in Tennessee starting this upcoming summer, 2026. They have passionate staff ready to dive into the SFSP and prepare to launch their sponsorship of congregate sites this year.

They are also committed to continued education and support of the early childhood educators they serve. That’s why they are hosting their first conference since covid at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee in August of 2026. During their conference they will also be celebrating their 30^th anniversary as an organization and recognizing their amazing work of getting nutritious meals to children and adults in care.