In the United States, one in every six children will struggle with hunger or food insecurity. Feed the Children is committed to working each day to defeat hunger. Not only does the organization work to make a difference in the lives of children and families across the United States, but they also assist children and families in 10 countries around the world.
Ending hunger now
For the nonprofit, defeating hunger means working with public and private partners to ensure kids everywhere have access to the safe, healthy, and nutritious food they need. By working with a vast network of community partners, the organization provides food, essentials, supports teachers and students, and mobilizes resources quickly to aid recovery efforts when natural disasters strike. They are dedicated to helping children and their families be independent and self-reliant.
More month than money
These items make a difference for Monica, a mom to two boys, Brody and Nathan. Despite working a full-time job, she said that many times there’s “more month than money.” “There are many times where things come up unexpectedly and I have to make sacrifices,” she said.
Monica recalled a time when most of her income had to be used to pay an unexpectedly expensive utility bill. “I absolutely was down to my last in everything,” she said.
Monica attended a Feed the Children event to receive food for her sons, but said she was moved to tears when she found so much more. “I was blown away because I wasn’t expecting that. We just needed something to kind of get us through to the end of the month or to my next payday. I was just so surprised,” she said.
Food and more
Monica said the hygiene items and various Avon products she received at the event were a blessing. “They provided toothpaste and deodorant and shampoo when I really needed it,” she said. “I didn’t tell anybody that I needed it. Feed the Children not only provided food, but they provided toiletries. That was unheard for me and definitely a blessing to me in a major way.”
Monica said becoming a mom has changed her way of thinking about life. “Having a child has made me become selfless because they are my everything,” she said. “You never imagine yourself being able to have that kind of love until you become a mom. Then everything you do becomes about them. And it’s the best thing that I’ve ever done.”
The long look
Feed the Children’s vision is to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry. In fact, this goal has been a driving force for the organization since its inception in 1979.
The nonprofit has five distribution centers in the United States, including Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Elkhart, Indiana, LaVergne, Tennessee, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Ontario, Calififornia, which serve as hubs to provide shelf-stable food and much-needed essentials to families across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“We recognize hunger can’t be fought alone; but by working together, we can help provide children and families with the hope and resources they need to flourish and break the cycle of poverty,” said Travis Arnold, president and chief executive officer of Feed the Children.
Through domestic and international efforts, Feed the Children distributed 88.6 million pounds of food and essentials (valued at $344 million) across the United States and around the world in fiscal year 2018. Through partnerships and programs, the organization’s outreach benefited approximately 5.1 million in the United States and more than 1.4 million internationally, for a total of 6.5 million children and families globally who don’t always know where their next meal will come from.