Feeding America facts for kids
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| Formation | 1979 (as America's Second Harvest) |
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| Founder | John van Hengel |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | 161 North Clark Street Suite 700, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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Region served
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United States |
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Membership
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200 food banks |
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CEO
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Claire Babineaux-Fontenot |
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Main organ
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Board of directors |
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Revenue
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$3.574 billion (2021) |
Feeding America is a special group in the United States. It's a non-profit organization. This means it doesn't try to make money. Instead, it helps people.
Feeding America works with over 200 food banks across the country. These food banks help feed more than 46 million people. They do this through places like food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. Forbes magazine says it's the biggest charity in the U.S. based on how much money it brings in to help others. Before 2008, it was called America's Second Harvest.
Contents
How Feeding America Started
In the mid-1960s, a man named John van Hengel was recovering from an injury. He started helping at a local soup kitchen in Phoenix, Arizona. He asked for food donations. Soon, he had much more food than the kitchen could use.
One day, a woman told him she fed her kids with food from a grocery store dumpster. She said the food was fine, just unwanted. She wished there was a place to drop off unwanted food. Then, people who needed it could pick it up, like a bank.
This idea inspired John van Hengel. He began asking grocery stores, gardens, and farms for extra food. This led to the creation of St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix. It was the very first food bank in the country.
In 1975, St. Mary's Food Bank got a special grant from the government. This money helped them start food banks all over the nation. This effort officially became a separate non-profit group in 1976.
In 2001, America's Second Harvest joined with Foodchain. Foodchain was the biggest group at that time that rescued food.
Around 2005, Feeding America started using a clever system. They used "shares," like pretend money. This helped them share food more fairly. Food banks would get shares based on how much food their area needed. Then, they could "buy" the foods they wanted most. This system helped make sure the right food went to the right places.
Before this, food banks sometimes got food they didn't need. For example, "sending potatoes to Idaho" meant sending potatoes to a place that already had plenty. Food would sometimes spoil because it wasn't needed. The new system helped stop this waste.
Important Moments
In May 2007, Feeding America was featured on the TV show American Idol. It was part of their "Idol Gives Back" charity program.
In September 2008, the group changed its name. It went from America's Second Harvest to Feeding America.
In August 2009, a music company announced something special. All money from Bob Dylan's album Christmas in the Heart would go to Feeding America forever.
After the financial crisis of 2007–2008 (a time when many people lost jobs and money), more people faced hunger. In 2013, the government reported that about 49 million Americans struggled to get enough good food. That was about one in six people.
In September, Feeding America started "Hunger Action Month." They planned events across the nation. The goal was to make more people aware of hunger. They wanted more Americans to help out.
In 2015, Feeding America did something amazing. They saved over 2 billion pounds of food. This food would have been thrown away. Instead, it was given to families who needed it.
By 2018, the government said that food insecurity was getting better. This means fewer people were struggling to get food.
In 2020, Feeding America shared some sad news. About 11 million children in the U.S. were suffering from hunger. Children, families, and older people were having the hardest time.
The COVID-19 pandemic made hunger even worse. One food bank leader said the number of people needing food went up by 36%. It stayed high for a long time.
MealConnect Platform
Feeding America also created something called MealConnect in 2014. This is a special online tool. It helps places like grocery stores and restaurants donate extra food. They can easily connect with local food banks and pantries. This helps reduce food waste. It also makes it easier to get food to people who need it. In June 2020, MealConnect started working all over the country.
Leaders of Feeding America
Bob Aiken was the first CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Feeding America. Matt Knott was a temporary CEO in 2015. On October 1, 2015, Diana Aviv became the second CEO. Then, on October 1, 2018, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot became the third CEO.
How Feeding America Helps
Feeding America works to teach people about hunger in the U.S. Their main office creates reports and studies. These papers share facts about hunger and poverty. They also give information about programs that help people.
Feeding America's team also works with lawmakers. They do research and speak at meetings. They try to change public ideas and laws. This helps their network of food banks and the people they serve.
In 2017, Feeding America announced a new goal. They wanted to offer healthier food from food banks. By 2023, they planned to give out more fruits and vegetables. They also wanted to train food banks to share more healthy foods. This includes whole grains and lean proteins.
There are more than 200 Feeding America food banks. Each one helps people in its own area. You can find a full list on the Feeding America website. Some of these food banks include:
- Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland, California
- Arkansas Foodbank Network in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C.
- Community Action Services and Food Bank in Provo, Utah
- Connecticut Food Bank in East Haven, Connecticut
- Feeding Southwest Virginia in Salem, Virginia
- Food Bank For New York City in New York City
- Food Bank of Delaware in Delaware
- Food Lifeline in Seattle, Washington
- Forgotten Harvest in Metro Detroit
- Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine
- Greater Boston Food Bank in Boston, Massachusetts
- Greater Chicago Food Depository in Chicago, Illinois
- Houston Food Bank in Houston, Texas
- North Texas Food Bank in Dallas, Texas
- Philabundance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Redwood Empire Food Bank in northern California
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in Nashville, Tennessee
- Second Harvest North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida
- Second Harvest of Silicon Valley in San Jose, California
- St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix, Arizona
- Vermont Foodbank in Barre, Vermont
Working Together
Feeding America gets help from many different groups. These include companies, other non-profit organizations, and people who donate money. They also get direct food donations. Many big companies help by giving food products. Some of these include 7-Eleven, Amazon, Costco, CVS Health, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Sam's Club, Target Corporation, Trader Joe's, and Walmart.
See also
- List of food banks
- Second Harvest Toronto (Canada)
