Responding to a Hunger Crisis

Boots on the ground. Trucks on the road. City after city.  

This is what the mission to end hunger looks like during COVID-19. No community is untouched by the economic collapse created by 40 million unemployed workers in a matter of months. Nonprofits like Feed the Children and our community partners are acting every day to respond, even though resources are strained for many of us across the country. We’ve never faced a crisis like this. Its only comparison might be the Great Depression. We see parallels, tragic ones, to that period in our nation’s history. Shelters, churches and pantries with vast-stretching food lines and the faces of people who have never needed this kind of help before.   

Our challenge in meeting this crisis together is rethinking how we get food to people, safely, quickly and efficiently. Our disaster response plans did not anticipate this magnitude of need or the obstacles created by a pandemic. For instance, how do you effectively bring resources to people when volunteers are virtually an impossibility? How do you make sure food reaches the arms of people in crisis while respecting social distancing guidelines and safety protocols?   

The answer is people, partnerships and personal responsibility. At Feed the Children, we have been fortunate enough to rely on warehouse staff and employees. They have helped us keep our distribution warehouses running. Partnerships have allowed us to directly bring food to the cities and towns where its most urgently needed. Sometimes that is a parking lot, sometimes a pantry or a shelter. We work together, wear our masks and make any sacrifices necessary. When a large portion of our employees sheltered at home, we overcame the technical and workflow challenges to keep food on the road and operations running smoothly. 

Yes, we are still in the thick of this fight. It’s a daily churn of uncertainty, unrest, unemployment, health concerns and mental anxiety. For many Americans and people across the world, this may be remembered as the hungriest and scariest summer of their lives. But we are working every day, alongside food pantries, churches and other nonprofits to make sure that doesn’t happen. None of this work would be possible without the support of good neighbors across the nation who are giving their time, money and energy to helping us meet this challenge.  

It’s working. A tide of love and compassion is swelling to meet the hunger crisis in America and across the world.  

Since the onset of COVID-19 we’ve been able to work together to make the following possible:  

• Over 1,128 shipments of emergency relief reached communities struggling during this crisis, and more supplies are going out every day.  
• Since March we have distributed $118,999,693 worth of food and essentials for COVID-19 relief.
• 1,128 shipments delivered to communities in need. 
• Since March we have distributed 25,108,354 pounds of food and essentials for COVID-19 relief.
• We are working with 424 community partners in our effort to combat the effects of the pandemic.
• Teleperformance, one of our valued corporate partners, has pledged $560,000 towards COVID-19 relief 
• Frito-Lay has donated a total of 1.3 million pounds of product to support families struggling due to COVID-19.
• COVID-19 cases continue to climb worldwide. All 10 overseas countries in which we operate are affected. Our teams on the ground continue to promote safe distancing and hygiene practices to help curb the spread.
• In Oklahoma, over 700 hospitality workers who are unemployed due to COVID-19 were able to pick up care packages containing a 25 lb. box of non-perishable food and a 12 lb. box of personal essentials. This outreach was made possible thanks to our partners at the Crossings Community Church and the Discovery Church of Yukon.
• In Texas, our partners at food pantries and food banks received over 320,000 pounds of vital essentials to distribute to their communities.
• In Arizona, over 75,000 pounds of food and hygiene products were delivered to Tucson families.
• Over 700,000 lbs. of relief reached people in California.
• In Kenya, our team has worked with families to install hand washing stations at more than 80% of homes in the areas we serve.
• In El Salvador, we worked with Convoy of Hope to provide emergency food distribution to 1,184 families in order to support children who are out of school and not receiving meals.
• In the Philippines, our teams collaborated with 4Life Philippines, Teleperformance, and Korea Hope Foundation to provide food packs to 4,140 households.