How to Help End Hunger in the United States

Hunger is a real problem in the United States—while there's plenty of food to go around, there isn't a great system in place for distributing the food efficiently. To help end hunger in the US, it's a good idea to spread the message about how big the problem truly is. You can start raising money to donate to organizations, volunteering at local food banks, or writing to local lawmakers asking them to help with your mission of ending hunger.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Raising Awareness

1. Read about hunger in the US for up-to-date information. Go online to find information about hunger in the US—you can read articles providing statistics and peruse news stories covering the problem. Researching the topic beforehand will help you understand the problem, allowing you to come up with helpful solutions.^[1]
   
   • Memorizing specific facts and statistics will help you be more persuasive and knowledgeable when discussing the topic with others.
2. Spread the word to friends and family to encourage them to help. Start up a discussion with your family and friends about the information you’ve learned through researching hunger in the US. Encourage them to talk to others about the hunger crisis and help them find ways to start volunteering their time or resources.^[2]
   
   • You can also share what you’ve learned with coworkers or school acquaintances.
   • Use social media to help you spread the word, or focus on talking one-on-one with people to have a thorough conversation about it.
3. Use social media to inform others about the problem of hunger. This is a great way to reach a lot of people all at once. You can post scholarly or news articles about hunger in the US on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, encouraging people to read them.^[3]
   
   • You could also post links to interviews about the issue, or just post a couple of facts about the issue of hunger to get people thinking about it.
   • Encourage friends and other connections on social media to choose a way to help reduce hunger, such as hosting a food drive or donating to a food organization.
4. Organize a bake sale or run to raise awareness. By doing one of these events, not only will you be able to spread information to others, but you'll also raise money in the process. Design a run to promote hunger awareness and encourage people to sign up. You can also set up a bake sale, yard sale, or other creative event to raise money for an organization that supports the hungry.^[4]
   
   • Create a lemonade stand to raise money, or plan a local car wash.
   • Make signs to advertise your fundraising event and hang them up around town.
5. Start a letter campaign to encourage others to write to local lawmakers. By having lots of people write letters to lawmakers about the issue of hunger in the US, lawmakers will see how many people want change. To start your letter campaign, you can look up websites to help you with the process, such as https://help.actionnetwork.org/hc/en-us/articles/203112829-Creating-letter-campaigns.^[5]
   
   • Brainstorm with others about topics to bring up in your letters, such as asking policymakers to increase funding for nutrition services.
6. Host a movie screening showing a movie about hunger in the US. Movies such as “A Place at the Table” highlight the issue of hunger in the country, making them a great tool for teaching others about the problem. Plan a movie screening at a place such as your local library, community center, or even your own home to get people together to learn about hunger.^[6]
   
   • Go online to find other movies or documentaries discussing hunger in the US.
   • Ask your local community center or other spots suitable for movie screenings if they would help you with the screening.
   • Hang flyers around town telling when and where the movie screening will take place.
   • You can even create a Facebook event for the screening and invite your friends to it while encouraging them to invite people they know as well.

[Edit]Supporting Programs and Organizations

1. Donate excess food in your home to an organization. If you have extra canned goods that aren’t being used or bought too much food the last time you went to the store, consider donating the leftovers. Do some research online to find an organization that’s right for your extra food.^[7]
   
   • Use coupons when you go grocery shopping to purchase extra food specifically to donate.
   • Packaged food can almost always be donated, and there are many food pantries or organizations (such as Ample Harvest) that will take fresh food.
2. Contact your local food bank to learn about volunteer opportunities. Your local food bank or food pantry is always looking for people to help out, whether by organizing food, raising funds, or spreading awareness. Visit your local food bank in person, call their number, or visit their website to find out how you can get involved.^[8]
   
   • They’ll be able to tell you valuable information, such as which foods are best to donate as well as other places that need help collecting food.
   • You can also check with your church or local non-profits to see if there are any events or opportunities to help raise money for food, start a food drive, or help end hunger in another way.
3. Host a healthy food drive in your area. Collect food from others that you can then donate to places such as a food pantry. Try to collect healthy foods instead of just junk food to provide a truly nutritious meal for someone.^[9]
   
   • Ask for foods such as peanut butter, canned tuna, canned fruit, whole wheat pasta, or low-sodium canned beans.
   • Choose a place to have your food drive and put up flyers to advertise it.
   • Post on social media to encourage others to donate to the food drive.
4. Set up an online food drive to easily collect food. If you aren’t able to host a real food drive, you can start one online through You Give Goods. Click on “Start an Event” on the main page to set up your event, and make sure you pick a charity to donate the food to. People will be able to purchase food online through the site, and the food will go directly to the charity.^[10]
   
   • You’ll be able to select a goal of how many food items you’d like to have donated, as well as how long you’d like the food drive to go on.
   • Check out the online food drive website at https://yougivegoods.com/.
5. Help grow food locally. Not only is growing food locally a great way to know where the food is coming from, but it’s also sure to be fresh, which is something that malnourished or hungry people truly need. Start getting involved in community gardening projects, or start your own mini garden and donate some of the food to people in need.^[11]
   
   • Read your local paper, ask around, or look online to see if there are any community gardens in your area.
6. Volunteer throughout the year, not just during winter holidays. A lot of people choose Thanksgiving or Christmas to volunteer at food pantries, homeless shelters, or church organizations. Try to volunteer year-round to help make a difference no matter the holiday.^[12]
   

[Edit]Choosing Organizations to Support

1. Contribute to Feeding America to provide meals to the hungry. Feeding America has over 200 food banks around the country, making them super accessible and influential in helping end hunger in the US. You can donate on their website, either donating a flat amount or by choosing to give money each month.^[13]
   
   • They help distribute food through food pantries, soup kitchens, and after-school programs.
   • Click on the red “Donate” button at the top of the page when you visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/.
   • Each dollar you give to Feeding America provides 10 meals.
2. Donate to Meals on Wheels to promote the delivery of food. Meals on Wheels is an organization that delivers food to people who can’t make or buy their own food. There are Meals on Wheels organizations in every single state, so you can either donate online at their website, or you can contact your local Meals on Wheels site to see how else you can get involved.^[14]
   
   • To donate to Meals on Wheels, click on the green “Donate” button at https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/.
   • You can also sign up to volunteer with Meals on Wheels at https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/americaletsdolunch#.
3. Visit Feed the Children’s website to make a difference in children’s lives. When you donate to Feed the Children, each dollar you give multiplies by 7, giving children nourishing food and important supplies. You can go on their website and click on the pink donate button to donate easily.^[15]
   
   • Feed the Children also lets you sponsor a child, if desired.
   • Take action at http://www.feedthechildren.org/.
4. Support No Kid Hungry in their goal to reduce children’s hunger. No Kid Hungry works to do things like give kids meals over the summer when they don’t have access to school food, teach families about nutritious foods, and work with policymakers to change the food system.^[16]
   
   • You can donate one time or monthly on their website at https://www.nokidhungry.org/.
5. Help UNICEF save children from experiencing hunger. UNICEF is a large organization that encourages people’s involvement to help end malnutrition, whether through advocating, fundraising, or donating. To donate, you can visit their website at https://www.unicefusa.org/.
   
   • Scroll over “Our Mission” and then click on “Nutrition” to learn more about their efforts to help end hunger.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.worldhunger.org/learn-about-hunger/
2. ↑ https://secure.feedingamerica.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=Pass_the_Plate
3. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/60-things-you-can-do-fight-hunger-america-slideshow
4. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/60-things-you-can-do-fight-hunger-america-slideshow
5. ↑ http://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2014/09/17/hunger-in-america-food-distribution-ashley-stanley
6. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/60-things-you-can-do-fight-hunger-america-slideshow
7. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/60-things-you-can-do-fight-hunger-america-slideshow
8. ↑ http://www.pointsoflight.org/blog/volunteer-end-hunger-america
9. ↑ http://createthegood.org/toolkit/organize-food-drive
10. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/60-things-you-can-do-fight-hunger-america-slideshow
11. ↑ https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/60-things-you-can-do-fight-hunger-america-slideshow
12. ↑ https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/dining-and-drink/giving-back-river-food-pantry-needs-volunteers-year-round/656352652
13. ↑ http://www.feedingamerica.org/
14. ↑ https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/
15. ↑ http://www.feedthechildren.org/
16. ↑ https://www.nokidhungry.org/