Hundreds of thousands of US families have visited their local food banks over the last several months, many for the first time. As food insecurity began to increase alongside job loss and economic challenges early this spring, the ASEA Advancing Life Foundation joined with Feeding America to help meet the demand.
Families of All Kinds Face Food Insecurity Right Now
In 2019, Feeding America served 37 million people in the United States. Despite popular perception, only 7% of people who rely on food bank services are homeless. The vast majority of people who benefit from food banks nationwide are employed yet still experience food insecurity.
After the 2008 recession, Feeding America found it took roughly 10 years for a family to recover from food insecurities during an economic turndown. Experts anticipate that it will take even longer to recover economically from the fallout of the current pandemic. The organization is currently feeding 60% more people this year than they did last year and projects to feed over 54 million people in the United States during 2020. They estimate 40% of those being served have never used the food bank before.
Working Locally to Help Families Nationally
To fulfill this 60% increase in demand, Feeding America has relied on new monthly donation partnerships like the one with our ASEA Advancing Life Foundation, which began a $10,000 monthly commitment from April through September of this year. Feeding America works closely with 200 local food pantries across the US and partners with over 60,000 food kitchens and pantries to use the donations it receives to ensure food is available to those who need it. They are also providing at-home delivery for senior citizens and provide drive-through pickup stations during the global health crisis.
Feeding America partners with farmers, large food corporations, grocery stores, and ranchers to gather food surplus. They provide safe shipping and distribution mechanisms to ensure that the food is safely stored and distributed across the country. Through the Feeding America network, every $1 provides 10 meals, equating Advancing Life contributions to 100,000 meals each month. 100% of donations during the global COVID-19 health crisis are going directly to feeding families and no money is being held for administration costs.
Seek Help, Donate Food, Money, or Time
Food pantries will not turn people away. If you know anyone in need of food, help them find a local food bank or pantry at https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank. If you can’t donate money but want to help feed your community, you can often find service opportunities listed on the volunteer section of your local food bank’s website.
When you create a monthly recurring donation with the ASEA Advancing Life Foundation’s Donor Alliance, ASEA will match your donation amount to double the impact through September. As an ASEA associate, your monthly donation can be set up through the ASEA VO shopping cart or advancinglife.org