At No Kid Hungry, we say that $1 can help provide 10 meals for kids. Our donors sometimes ask: How is this possible?
It’s not because we get a bulk discount on food. In fact, we don’t buy food at all. Because lack of food isn’t the problem in the United States. The problem is ensuring that children have reliable access to food.
Why aren't kids getting the food they need? Grocery costs are high, and many working parents don't make a fair wage. And while there are programs to help, many eligible children aren't enrolled in them. No Kid Hungry is working to eliminate these barriers.
No Kid Hungry supports school and community meals programs; provides grants to help communities get what they need to feed kids; advocates for better laws and policies; and addresses the root causes of hunger. When we carefully invest donor dollars in this work, schools and communities can feed more kids.
Our work takes place wherever kids need our help, which includes meals programs at schools, as well as programs that help families feed their children.
We’ve been monitoring and analyzing data for school meal programs for more than a decade, so we know that $1 in grant funding can help provide 10 meals in communities and schools.
Today we're putting a significant amount of effort into summer meals for kids. There’s a new federal program to help families buy food during the summer, and another new program that lets rural communities offer meals delivery and pick-up services, instead of requiring children to travel to the sites where the meals are served. (Because these programs are so new, not enough data exists yet to apply the $1 equivalency to summer meals. We will revisit and update this as more data becomes available.)
How One Dollar Goes Even Further
No Kid Hungry works with organizations in all 50 states, and your support is critical to making a difference for kids. Here are a few examples of how your donation can help feed kids:
- Since 2020, we've provided over $158 million in grants to communities across the country to help them feed children.
- We help educators and community leaders who want to feed more children by offering research and training.
- We help schools and community groups launch - and improve - meals programs for kids, like breakfast served in the classroom or free meals provided in the summertime.
- We provide grant funding for needed equipment - from refrigerators to delivery trucks - and encourage policymakers to expand these programs.
- We help families feed their kids by protecting programs like SNAP and WIC and increasing the number of children enrolled in them.
- We advocate for stronger federal laws and benefits, and work with state agencies to make enrolling easier and more dignified for families.
- We provide funding and support to organizations working on the “root causes” of hunger – from low wages to the high cost of healthy foods – to help families become more economically mobile and secure.
At No Kid Hungry, we rely on the generosity of individual donors - as well as charitable support from companies that fund our work to end childhood hunger. Maintaining the trust of donors in our organization is incredibly important to us – and essential to our work.
Our promise to you is that we will be transparent and communicate regularly about how your dollars are being used to help provide healthy meals to children in the United States.
Learn more about the ways you can help kids or make a donation today.
