Feeding America is able to make your dollar stretch so far because of the successful partnerships we build. Every dollar donated to Feeding America helps secure and distribute 10 meals to people facing hunger. How is it possible to provide that many meals with just one dollar? Through large-scale negotiating and nationwide donation programs, we’re able to stretch your donation to make the biggest impact possible.
Unlike walking into a grocery store and paying retail prices for food, Feeding America works directly with major manufacturers, retailers and other partners across the country to secure safe, healthy food that would otherwise go to waste. According to a ReFED study conducted in 2016, 72 billion pounds of food are wasted in America each year. Through our partnerships, Feeding America works to rescue this food before it’s wasted — making a difference for the people we serve and for the environment.
Because of these successful partnerships, every dollar you donate to Feeding America helps secure and distribute at least 12 pounds of food — the equivalent of 10 meals — through our nationwide network of food banks.
We calculate these figures by converting pounds of food into meals per dollar using the finding from USDA’s What We Eat in America 2011-2012 that an average meal is 1.2 lbs. of food. We remove water from total pounds to align with the USDA’s practice of excluding water (plain water, like tap water, with no calories or enhancements).
The average wholesale value of these groceries is $1.67 per pound, according to the June 2016 Feeding America Product Valuation Study, KPMG, Audited.
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