IN THE USA
1 in 8 children are living in a food insecure household
Since our founding in 1979, Feed the Children remains one of the leading charities in the U.S. dedicated to ending childhood hunger both at home and abroad. Though we focus most urgently on feeding hungry children, the scope of our work has expanded to helping their families and communities achieve more stable lives to reduce the need for hunger relief tomorrow.
Food Access
We have continued to explore ways to expand access to food for the children and families in the United States who need it the most. Our five distribution centers across the country serve as hubs for dispersing relief and resources to communities across the country as we deliver supplies to our community partners in cities, towns and rural areas. In fiscal year 2022, our programs provided more than 86.2 million pounds of shelf-stable food and essential household items valued at more than $317 million to supplement family needs and offer hope to more than 8.2 million people across the nation.
As the combined health and economic crises of COVID-19 continue to cause hardship on a massive scale, Feed the Children continues to provide support to the families who need the most help.
Summer Food for Kids
Sadly, the breakfasts and lunches served at school to approximately 30 million children across the U.S. can often be the only reliable sources of food many kids receive. When the school year ends, so do these meals, and summer can become a time of struggle and hunger.
Food insecurity has grown more widespread in the U.S. since 2020 due to the far-reaching effects of the ongoing pandemic. It is estimated that nearly one in eight American children is now food insecure.
Feed the Children’s network of local community partners operates nationwide to bridge the summer hunger gap. We work with food pantries, churches, schools and homeless shelters to distribute food and essentials. And through the power of partnership, our outreach programs can help more families than ever.
THE TEACHER STORE
Education and community matter in the hunger crisis
Supporting Education
According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 2019/2020, teachers spent an average of $745 out of pocket to supply their classrooms. Of those teachers, 9 out of 10 were not reimbursed. That’s why Feed the Children operates five Teacher Stores around the country, providing free books, school supplies, and other classroom necessities to teachers in Title I schools. They are located in:
- Elkhart, Indiana
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Lavergne, Tennessee
- Chandler, Arizona
In fiscal year 2022, our Teacher Stores benefited an estimated 873,000 students across 234 school districts by providing them with more than $3.8 million in teaching supplies as well as books valued at more than $5.3 million.
The Feed the Children Teacher Stores also offer food pantries in all five locations. The food pantries provide healthy snack options for teachers to hand out to their students in class. Snacks provided include assorted nuts, dried fruit, and health bars. Teachers can use the food as an afternoon snack for students in class, an after-school snack for when kids go home, and as a nutritious classroom boost before giving a test.
Essentials
Food is important. But it’s not the only thing families need. And in the struggle to afford life’s necessities, there isn’t always enough money to go around. That’s why Feed the Children provides not only food, but essential items such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and cleaning supplies. These supplies make it possible for the families we serve to not only survive, but thrive.
Domestic Disaster Response
When disaster strikes, quick response times are crucial to relief efforts. At Feed the Children, we know how important it is to anticipate and immediately address damage caused by hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tornadoes —anything that leaves children and their families vulnerable.
We work with community partners in hard-hit areas to distribute food, water, cleaning supplies, and essentials to families in need. In addition, we provide Kid’s Disaster Packs to ensure that children have the resources they need to cope during the relief and recovery process.
