Charity Spotlight: Feeding America's Hungry Children

MainStreet is on a mission to find the charitable organizations most worthy of your donations. We focus on their effectiveness and the amount of money they budget for actual good deeds, as opposed to that which goes to overhead.

This week we’re looking at Feeding America’s Hungry Children (FAHC).

FAHC solicits donated food and grocery products from the nation's food and grocery industry, along with farmers and other sources, and distributes it to hungry people across America. So far, the organization has helped provide nearly 1.5 million meals to benefit more than 38,000 families.

Who they are and what they do: Based in Phoenix, FAHC solicits and collects donated food—including “rescued” fruits and vegetables (surpluses from growers and distributors which otherwise would go to waste). FAHC then provides these goods to food banks, soup kitchens, women’s shelters and other agencies that have immediate need. We’re talking truckloads of valuable and desperately needed food.

“Over the last 20 years we have developed relationships with the food banking network throughout the United States and have developed a notification list of food banks and food distribution agencies that are capable of handling semi load lots (36,000 pounds) at a time,” says Lon Taylor of FAHC. The organization currently has agencies in 22 states on its notification list, with the goal of serving all states in the near future.

Like many other charities, FAHC is definitely feeling the impact of the current economic situation. Many of the food banks and agencies they work with are noticing a common trend: People who previously donated or volunteered have run into economic hardships and are now on the other side of the fence, seeking help for themselves.