Help Fight Hunger

Although many Americans may not see it, hunger is a huge problem in the United States

Although many Americans may not see it, hunger is a huge problem in the United States. Supermarketguru wants to bring special attention to a unique partnership between Feeding America and ConAgra Foods, Child Hunger Ends Here Campaign.

Although it may not be apparent in our own neighborhoods, 50 million Americans, including more than 17 million children lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis, according to the Household Food Security in the United States report. 

The organization Share Our Strength reports that, children who face hunger are more susceptible to obesity and its harmful health consequences throughout their life. Undernourished children age three and under cannot learn as much as fast or as well.

USDA data reports that approximately 15 percent of all American families have trouble securing enough food. The defining characteristic of very low food security is that at times during the year the household lacks money and other resources for food. On average, households with very low food security at some time during the year experienced it in seven or eight months out of 12 months and in one to seven days in each of those months.

This is a serious issue that threatens not only the lives and health and wellness of a huge portion of our population, but also threatens the survival of our healthcare system. We all have a responsibility to help end hunger. In our supermarkets, newspaper pages, blogs and television news programs, raising the awareness of the problem can do much to alleviate this tragedy.

The partnership between Feeding America and ConAgra Foods is impressive, The Child Hunger Ends Here campaign specifically builds on a commitment to end child hunger, which has resulted in donations of more than 250 million pounds of food to Feeding America since 1993.

Last year the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign generated 2.5 million meals and brought together thousands of people in support of Feeding America as well as the more than 200 member food banks and 63,000 related agencies that rely on Feeding America’s services. ConAgra Foods and the ConAgra Foods Foundation have also donated $35 million to Feeding America, including a recent five-year, $10 million pledge from the ConAgra Foods Foundation, the largest donation ever made to Feeding America specifically to fight child hunger.

How to get involved?
First is tune in to your local NBC station this Saturday March 19th to watch “Child Hunger Ends Here: A Special Report,” a 30-minute special hosted by Al Roker and Natalie Morales, which highlights the personal stories of families struggling with hunger and showcases how Americans can work together to tackle this issue. 

Go Grocery Shopping: for the next few months, ConAgra Foods will embark on its largest branded initiative to fight child hunger in the United States. Consumers will purchase select ConAgra Foods brands and, when they enter a code found on the package online at childHungerEndsHere.com, the company will donate a meal to Feeding America. Up to 2.5 million meals this during the time period. Codes on specially marked packages of Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Fresh Mixers, Kid Cuisine, Marie Callender’s and Peter Pan can be redeemed through August 2011.

Text to Donate: make a financial contribution to Feeding America through a mobile giving campaign. Simply text “FEEDKIDS” to 50555 to make a $10 donation directly to Feeding America through June 30, 2011.

Spread the Word: Become a fan at facebook.com/ConAgraFoods, you can see how your donations are making a difference and share your own photos and stories. You can also follow the issue and get the latest information at twitter.com/ConAgraFoods.