Feeding America

Feeding America
Formation 1979 (1979)
Type Non-profit
Headquarters 35 East Wacker
Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates 41°53′11″N 87°37′36″W / 41.88639°N 87.62667°W / 41.88639; -87.62667
Region served
United States
Membership
200 food banks
CEO
 Diana Aviv
Main organ
 Board of Directors
Website http://feedingamerica.org

Feeding America is a United States-based non-profit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies.[1] It is the third largest U.S. charity,[2] and the nation's largest "hunger-relief and food-rescue organization."[3]

Feeding America's CEO is Diana Aviv.[4] Feeding America was known as America's Second Harvest until August 31, 2008.[5]

History

In the late 1960s, when John van Hengel, a retired businessman in Phoenix, Arizona began volunteering at a local soup kitchen, he began soliciting food donations for the kitchen. He ended up with far more food than the kitchen could use in its operations. Around this time, he spoke with one of the clients, who told him that she regularly fed her family with discarded items from the grocery store's garbage bins. She told him that the food quality was fine, but that there should be a place where unwanted food could be stored and later accessed by people who needed it, similar to how banks store money.

Van Hengel began to actively solicit this unwanted food from grocery stores, local gardens, and nearby produce farms. His effort led to the creation of St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix, the nation's first food bank.[6]

In 1975, St. Mary's was given a federal grant to assist in developing food banks across the nation. This effort was formally incorporated into a separate non-profit organization in 1976.[7]

In 2001, America's Second Harvest merged with Foodchain,[8] which was the nation's largest food-rescue organization at that time.

In May 2007, it was featured on American Idol, named as a charity in the Idol Gives Back charity program.[9]

In September 2008, the organization name was changed to Feeding America.

In August 2009, Columbia Records announced that all U.S. royalties from Bob Dylan's album Christmas in the Heart would be donated to Feeding America, in perpetuity.

There has been a rise in the numbers suffering from hunger since the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013, the USDA reported that about 49 million Americans were now facing the condition, about one in six of the population.[10] In September, they launched Hunger Action Month, with events planned all over the nation, to raise awareness and get more Americans involved in helping out.[11][12][13]

In 2015, Feeding America saved more than 2 billion pounds of food for hungry families that would have been otherwise been thrown away.[3]

Network programs

Feeding America works to educate the general public and keep them informed about hunger in America. The national office produces educational and research papers that spotlight aspects of hunger and provides information on hunger, poverty and the programs that serve vulnerable Americans. Feeding America's public policy staff works with legislators, conducting research, testifying at hearings and advocating for changes in public attitudes and laws that support Feeding America's network and those the organization serves.[14]

Notable food banks in the network

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Hunger in America 2014". Feeding America. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "#3 The 50 Largest U.S. Charities". Forbes. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Starbucks takes action after workers fret over wasted food". CBSnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Daniels, Alex (30 June 2015). "Diana Aviv Leaving Independent Sector for Feeding America". philanthropy.com. The Chronicle of Philanthrophy. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Second Harvest Heartland Feeding America". AgWired: News from the World of Agribusiness. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2016. (For Second Harvest Toronto, see Second Harvest)
  6. ↑ "Transitions". 2005-10-09. Archived from the original on 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  7. ↑ Patricia Sullivan (2005-10-08). "John van Hengel Dies at 83; Founded 1st Food Bank in 1967". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  8. ↑ O'Connor, Alice; Mink, Gwendolyn (2004). Poverty in the United States: an encyclopedia of history, politics, and policy. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. p. 389. ISBN 1-57607-597-4.
  9. ↑ "'Idol' Charity Donations Top $60M - washingtonpost.com". The Washington Post. 2007-04-26. Archived from the original on 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  10. ↑ Coleman-Jensen, Alicia (September 2014). "Household Food Security in the United States in 2013" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  11. ↑ Anti-hunger efforts under way in area Beloit daily news. 6 Sept 2012
  12. ↑ Food banks spotlight hunger awareness Amarillo globe news. 7 Sept 2012
  13. ↑ Alex Ferreras (2012-07-11). "Thousands More in Solano, Napa Counties are Turning to Food Banks". Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  14. ↑ "Charity Report: Feeding America". Give.org. BBB Wise Giving Alliance. December 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.

External links

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