September is Defeat Hunger Month: Make a $3.2 Million Impact by Helping Feed the Children Raise $400K in 4 weeks

OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- America is starting to emerge from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, but there's still no end in sight for the millions of children who don't have enough food to eat. You might be surprised to learn that one in every six children in the U.S. are struggling with hunger or food insecurity - meaning they may not know how they will get their next meal. That's why Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit focused on alleviating childhood hunger, has designated September as Defeat Hunger Month and set a goal to raise $400,000 in four weeks. Because of our generous partners, each dollar multiplies eight times – providing $3.2 million in food and essentials to struggling U.S. families.

Many children and their families who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic are experiencing new hardships. Unemployment benefits are expiring, back rent needs to be paid and the demands of new jobs could mean unexpected frustrations and stretched family budgets. For many, this difficult time could mean additional hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and other painful consequences.

Feed the Children works 365 days a year to stamp out hunger and make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families across the United States. But the organization can't do it alone. They work with public and private partners to ensure everyone, everywhere, has access to the safe, healthy and nutritious food they need.

Working with a network of community partners, the nonprofit distributes shelf-stable food and essential household items as well as disaster relief supplies to children and families in order to help them achieve stable lives, while providing food and resources to help them today. 

Darren is a single father who lives with his two daughters and two sons in rural Oklahoma. A landscaper, he could always find enough work that he never needed to seek assistance before. COVID-19 quickly changed that. Like many parents, Darren's sudden loss of income from underemployment was compounded by the pressing question of childcare when schools closed. He found himself in a tight spot.

"Right after the pandemic hit, work went downhill, and then the kids had to come home from school," he says. "It made me have to stay home more with my kids. I'm still working as much as I can, but I'm not able to work as much as I need to."

Luckily, just before schools began to reopen, Darren heard from a family member about a food pantry and back-to-school drive in his area. There, he picked up enough food and supplies that he could afford to focus on buying other important things his kids needed like clothes and shoes.

Feed the Children has five distribution centers in the United States including Bethlehem, Penn., Elkhart, Ind., LaVergne, Tenn., Oklahoma City, Okla. and Chandler, Ariz. which serve as regional hubs to provide shelf-stable food and much-needed essentials to families across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In addition to their work in the U.S., Feed the Children also works in eight countries around the world serving families in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, the Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda. There the nonprofit provides a child-focused community development approach which emphasizes four key programs including food and nutrition, health and water, education and livelihoods. The organization's efforts provide parents with the opportunity to gain the skills they need to raise well-nourished and thriving children.

In the U.S. and around the world, Feed the Children distributed more than 87.8 million pounds of food and essentials valued at more than $361 million in fiscal year 2020. Through our partnerships and programs, our outreach to children and their families benefited approximately 5.6 million children and their families in the U.S. and more than 1.7 million internationally for a total of 7.3 million people globally.

For more information on how you can help raise $400K in four weeks during Defeat Hunger Month, visit feedthechildren.org/DefeatHungerMonth. Thanks to the generous support of our partners, each gift given multiplies eight times to deliver food to families in the U.S. and around the world.

About Feed the Children
At Feed the Children, we feed hungry kids. We envision a world where no child goes to bed hungry. In the U.S. and internationally, we are dedicated to helping families and communities achieve stable lives and to reducing the need for help tomorrow, while providing food and resources to help them today. We distribute product donations from corporate donors to local community partners, we provide support for teachers and students, and we mobilize resources quickly to aid recovery efforts when natural disasters strike. Internationally, we manage child-focused community development programs in eight countries. We welcome partnerships because we know our work would not be possible without collaborative relationships.

Visit feedthechildren.org for more information.

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SOURCE Feed The Children, Inc.