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Nominated Cause
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zardozThis is the official discussion thread for the cause Feeding America. Its EIN is 36-3673599 and it's a public charity based in Chicago, IL. Research more info about the cause on GuideStar and Charity Navigator.
National food bank responding to the needs of individuals struggling with food insecurity in the U.S. with a mission to end the fight against hunger.
Donate to Feeding America’s Coronavirus Response Fund
No one should go hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic. With school closures, job disruptions, and health risks, millions of Americans will turn to food banks for much-needed support. They can’t do it alone and you can help.
How We’re Responding to Coronavirus
From Seattle to New Rochelle, from Baton Rouge to San Francisco, food banks across the country are doing what they do best – feeding people in need within their communities. The Feeding America network is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States including in disasters and national emergencies.
The most vulnerable people in our communities need us now more than ever. Here’s how we’re responding to the challenge:
- Launched the COVID-19 Response Fund, a national food- and fund-raising effort to support people facing hunger and the food banks who help them
- Working with government leaders to ensure the emergency response includes strong support and flexibility for federal nutrition programs including the School Lunch Program
- Partnering with school districts and local government agencies to ensure that the 22 million children who rely on school meals have access to food outside of the classroom
- Building an inventory of emergency food boxes to distribute to food banks across the country as the need for food assistance increases
- Providing emergency grants to food banks to support local response efforts
- Safely continuing our distribution of food and non-food and household items like cleaning supplies, diapers and personal care products
In this time of uncertainty, Feeding America along with its network of local leaders works to ensure that this pandemic does not perpetuate inequity or deepen the burdens often borne disproportionately by communities of color and low-income people. We are agile and adaptive, supporting the growing needs of the communities we serve.
Feeding America dedicates our resources, platforms, and political will to make the biggest impact on people with the greatest need. This moment is an opportunity to illuminate how we are all affected when some of us lack the protections of a safety net. By focusing on the needs of people most impacted, we can better ensure the health and safety of all communities.
To learn more about the response in your community and how you can help, find your local food bank.
(text courtesy feedingamerica.org)
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Comments
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Nancy PChildren are experiencing food insecurity because of Covid. Millions of families have to turn to Food Banks and their partner programs like food pantries. Feeding America is the national umbrella organization leading and supporting these efforts. It’s nice to donate food to your local pantry, but your dollar donation can do so much more.
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BethanyThis is important, yes, I know how hard it has been for everyone during COVOD-19 but I’m about to do something controversial and urge all voters for this cause to change their votes to a Black Lives Matter charity this month.
As a collective group of donors, we simply cannot ignore the in-our-face issue out there over the past few weeks – of course it’s a systemic issue that always exists but now more than ever we need to take a stand.
Corporations like Audible are donating 100% of the income made from books downloaded on their anti-racism reading list to Black Lives Matter – we need to be following suit!
We can come back to Feeding America but for now, please consider – just for this month – changing your vote to either Color for Change or the Movement for Black Lives.
I’m so sorry Zardoz, I don’t mean to undermine you with this message. I just really believe we need to think differently right now. I hope you understand.
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Nancy PBethany,
I agree that Black Lives Matters is an extremely important to support. We are hopefully in radical change in how white privilege people are confronting racism. I donate to local and state 501(C) organizations like NAACP, Equity Justice Initiative, Dare County Minority Coalition. I researched your suggestions and wonder how you decided to focus on the two nonprofits.
I support Feeding America is an national umbrella organization that does incredible work and supports regional food banks which in turn support local food pantries.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
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BethanyHi, thanks for your thoughts!
Actually, I didn’t nominate either of those charities, I only saw that they were close to winning the vote this month and so wanted to encourage people to get either one into the winning slot. I went with Color of Change only because it was in the lead.
If I was nominating, I’d usually look to see how effectively the charity is spending its money verses the impact it is making. The ones I’ve nominated in the past have mostly stood for reproductive rights (i.e. Planned Parenthood) and I specifically nominated the charitable arms responsible for lobbying to government. I guess I’m looking for effective change-makers when I nominate – not just passion for the cause.
I admit I don’t know much about the BLM charities on the list this month and I probably just would have nominated the obvious (i.e. BLM), but I felt we/I needed to act quickly this time and so didn’t dig deep like I normally would. But I do think they’re both doing very important work.
Feeding America truly does look like a brilliant charity and I’m glad they’re on the list, so many lower-income families are struggling to make ends meet as this pandemic continues. Along with ensuring there is food on the table, we also need to ensure everyone’s rights are intact.
Thanks again for responding to my message – it’s valuable having a dialogue with a fellow micro-philanthropist!
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jessica.e....Hi Zardoz and Bethany,
Grateful that people in this community care so much about taking care of others’ basic needs, especially during Covid, and working for justice for Black American–both locally and across the country! As a public school educator in Oregon, I see the impact of both Covid and anti-Black racism on the students and families I serve.
Even though I deeply value the work of Feeding America, I nominated the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) as I know money matters right now in the long-term fight for justice for Black Lives. I chose it based on the support it provides for a dynamic coalition of organizations that have demonstrated long-term staying power in many different venues. However, I too put all of my votes into Color of Change this month, a group I have financially supported for years. The leaders of Color of Change have persisted despite so many barriers and have had real success across the board.
Like Bethany, I hope we can support Color of Change this month, M4BL next month, and then Feeding America as we move into the fall as Covid will most likely impact even more folks.
Thanks for considering!
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Nancy PI’ve worked with the Regional Food Bank and local food pantries in North Carolina, and know there is a great need. I think we all are torn between giving to local non-profits and national organizations.
If you all are confident that donations will go to local Black Lives Matters groups who make a difference, I support that. Do you know how much of the donation goes to administration and how much for program support. I’m committed to black lives matter organizations on any level. Many of them are operating on a shoe string budget. We can do Feeding America in the fall.
I have used Charity Navigator in the past to evaluate programs.
“Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. In our quest to help donors, our team of professional analysts has examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. We’ve used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 9,000 of America’s best-known and some lesser known, but worthy, charities.
Specifically, Charity Navigator’s rating system examines two broad areas of a charity’s performance; their Financial Health and their Accountability & Transparency. Our ratings show givers how efficiently we believe a charity will use their support today, how well it has sustained its programs and services over time and their level of commitment to good governance, best practices and openness with information. In the not-too-distant future, we plan to also rate charities’ reporting of their results. We provide these ratings so that charitable givers/ social investors can make intelligent giving decisions, and so that the nonprofit sector can improve its performance.”
Small local groups may be under their radar. I publish a weekly Outer Banks Newsletter that focuses on nonprofits and volunteer opportunities. We try to connect background information and national efforts to local regional nonprofits and organizations. We have a new volunteer coming on board who will focus on story telling.
Most of my extended family are in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Moved East 50 years ago. I miss the mountains.
Nancy
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MarthaekThanks for the thoughtful conversation. I am connected with several nonprofits in various roles and right now, across all of them, the critical need is food. Covid-19 has dismantled many food access channels and the high unemployment rate has created even more need than usual. Local food pantries are struggling to meet that need. Feeding America is an excellent national organization that has successfully made a difference. And yes, amid all this, systemic racism in America is finally getting sustained attention from all of us. I, like many, am donating to BLM and other local groups. Unfortunately food insecurity has fallen off the radar by comparison. I’m keeping my vote with Feeding America. If people are hungry they are challenged to participate in fixing our democracy. Thanks for reading.
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Nancy PI like that local Outer Banks Nonprofits are nominated and people join the group to support them. Earlier this summer I switched my vote to Feed America to local organizations on Black Lives Matter because there was an immediate need. A few of us pledged our own personal commitment to Feeding America on the next round.
Hunger is now a real fear for many who did not need the Food Bank before this health crisis. Feeding America and the Albemarle Food Bank need our help now more than ever to support this increasing daily need. For every $10 donation, the Food Bank can provide approximately 40 meals. Our contribution will help the Food Bank to prepare emergency-food boxes to ease the burden of families that no longer have access to meals through schools, senior nutrition programs, and no work and lost wages. Affiliated partners with the Feeding America include the Beach Food Pantry, Lower Currituck Food Pantry, meals for senior citizens and breakfasts and lunches for children.
I think it is great that more local people are involved and we support local interests. To me, Hunger is a broader issue we should all support. Room in the Inn and Food for Thought are great local nonprofits with support from many churches, volunteers, and a history of helping others in need. Covid has complicated most human services across the United States and certainly local counties. At a recent meeting of 25 local nonprofits, Covid has impacted everyone.
The decision to give nationally or locally is a personal one. It’s hard not to respond to a need you can physically see or touch. I respect that point of view. As the administrator of Outer Banks Common Good, I receive weekly and monthly announcements and press releases on programs, causes and good work. The Outer Banks is a place of community caring and good will. However, I personally believe we need to see beyond our county lines. Charitocracy makes that possible.
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RoamXDear voters for Feeding America,
If you have split your vote with other causes, Please un-split your votes for the remainder of thus month. Otherwise your donation will go to feeding the Outer Banks instead of Feeding America.
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MarthaekUnfortunately, the Outer Banks voting bloc has found their honey hole at Charitocracy. Month after month, they nominate a new non-profit and take the pot. If we ever hope to help a different regional area, a national or international cause, we need to also vote as a bloc. Ugh. Does everything have to turn into an “us or them” choice? The Outer Banks clearly doesn’t understand the concept of sharing outside of their own borders or simply just won’t. Charitocracy needs to expand it’s rules about repeating to cover self-serving communities like the Outer Banks.
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BenjFear not, and check out our blog! 😀 This problem has a solution starting October 1st if I manage to pull enough all-nighters this week:
https://ch-y.org/blog/2020/09/20/help-me-obx-youre-my-only-hope/
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BethanyI’m going to switch my vote to Feeding America this month because I was so grateful to those who switched to Color for Change a couple months ago and I’m surprised Feeding America hasn’t won yet. I understand what’s happening and I know Benj is working hard on a solution.
But next month I’m switching right back to the Movement for Black Lives because it still is an immediate need – please join me in doing so and let’s get these two charities on the winners list!
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Nancy PThanks for the switch. I’ll do the same for Black Lives Matters. Please recommend a nonprofit. It doesn’t matter whether it is local or national. Thanks. Please share links if you can.