Feeding America is a network of 200 food banks that together reach every county in the country in order to help those in need and decrease the hunger and poverty rates. In more than 40 years of work, the organization has helped many struggling families to put food on their tables.
But what numbers are we’re talking about? How does Feeding America actually work? And what are the US hunger statistics?
Find out everything you need to know about this meaningful humanitarian organization.
3 Fundamental Feeding America Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- Feeding America helps 40 million people with food assistance.
- The organization has more than 2 million volunteers.
- One in seven U.S. households needs help.
9 Feeding America Statistics
1. Feeding America has more than 2 million volunteers.
Feeding America’s network is large and well spread across the United States. The network has over 63,000 agencies. All those agencies, 66% of pantries, 41% of kitchen programs, and 11% of shelter programs entirely rely on volunteers. Feeding America has more than 2 million people volunteering each and every month.
Source: DoSomething and Feeding America
2. More than 38 million people in the United States are food insecure.
According to Feeding America and USDA, the United States is fighting a high rate of food-insecure people. More than 38 million people don’t know if they’ll have food on their table by tomorrow morning or not. That high number includes 12 million children who can have severe health problems due to low weight and undernourishment.
Source: USDA and Feeding America
3. The network provides food for more than 37 million Americans each year.
Feeding America has many food bank network members too. Thanks to the entire organization, the network is capable of providing and supplying food to more than 37 million Americans every year. That number includes 3 million seniors and 14 million children.
Source: DoSomething
4. About 34% of households served by Feeding America have had to choose between food and medical care.
The hunger situation in America is linked to poverty. Many people and households don’t have enough money to take care of themselves and their families. According to DoSomething and Feeding America, 34% of households that were served and helped by Feeding America, have had to choose between paying for food or for medicinal and medical care.
Source: DoSomething
5. One in seven U.S. households needs food assistance.
Speaking of US households, almost one in seven of them need to turn to the Feeding America network for help every year. Most families and households live in a food-insecure home which presents the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food.
Source: Feeding America
6. Around 50.4 million people were food insecure in 2020.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on the US population. According to Feeding America, 1 in 6 people, or in number, around 50.4 million of them, were food insecure in 2020. That number was 35 million (1 in 9 people) in the previous 2019 year.
Source: Feeding America
7. In 2020, the network provided 5.2 billion meals.
According to the annual report for 2020, the Feeding America food bank network helped to provide 5.2 billion meals to people facing hunger. 40% of those people were in need of charitable food assistance for the first time in their lives, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Feeding America
8. Almost 2 billion pounds of fresh products have been distributed to those in need.
Feeding America is making meaningful progress every day that goes by. In 2020, the members managed to distribute over 1.8 billion pounds of fresh products to families in need. Such food assistance has a massive positive impact on people and the community.
9. From 53 food donors in 1979, the organization now has over 500 of them.
Feeding America has been in work for more than 40 years now. In 1979, it distributed 3.9 million pounds of food, had 53 food donors, and 11 member food banks. In 2019, all those numbers have massively increased. There were 4.2 million distributed meals, over 500 food donors, and 200 member food banks.
Source: Feeding America
To Wrap It Up
Feeding America is an amazing organization that helps millions and millions of people in the United States to fight hunger and starvation. The organization has a positive impact on the communities in each of the 50 states of America and thanks to that, many families can have a meal on their table. No doubt the organization will grow even bigger in the upcoming years and cover more millions of people.
