By Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America
Jan. 16, 2012 

Last Wednesday, Feeding America announced a new $100,000 grant from ConAgra Foods Foundation for four Feeding America food banks in Texas.

The grant was in response to ConAgra Foods Foundation-funded research that showed a need for specific assistance due to high rates of food insecurity among children and Latino families in several Texas counties.

ConAgra Foods’ support for these Texas programs is just one example of their overall approach to their partnership with Feeding America.

One in six Americans is facing hunger, and millions of families have lost their jobs, their homes and so much more. Organizations like Feeding America and our network of food banks are serving more families every day with diminishing resources. The current circumstances force us to be even more strategic and thoughtful about how we use limited funding and resources to help families in need.

ConAgra Foods understands that. It’s why they have funded research that allows us to better understand the scope, causes and effects of hunger on children and families. In recent years, ConAgra Foods Foundation has funded three major studies: 

• Effects of hunger on childhood development
• Map the Meal Gap child-specific data
• Latino hunger research

The Map the Meal Gap data uncovered the fact that two Texas counties, Starr and Zavala, have the highest rates of child food insecurity in the nation (50 percent of children in these counties are food insecure). The Latino hunger research confirmed that Latino families are far less likely to enroll in federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that help them provide enough food for their children and dependents.

Based on these findings, we identified ways in which ConAgra Foods and Feeding America can work together to address very specific causes. We made specific recommendations, and ConAgra Foods took action by providing funding to four Texas food banks poised to take action: San Antonio Food Bank, West Texas Food Bank, South Texas Food Bank and Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. The grants will help these food banks do more for the children and families in their communities.

Without the research though, we might not have understood the real need and how best to address it. It’s what makes our partnership with ConAgra Foods so unique; they’re using their business acumen and applying it to the nonprofit sector so that we can achieve real and lasting results.

As a Leadership Partner of Feeding America, ConAgra Foods Foundation works side by side with us to support both research and solutions in our fight against hunger in America.

I am grateful for the ConAgra Foods Foundation’s commitment to fighting child hunger. As the charitable arm of a Fortune 200 company, the Foundation team understands the importance of marshalling finite funding for maximum impact, a passion that we share at Feeding America.

On behalf of Feeding America, I want to thank all of you at ConAgra Foods for being such thoughtful, dedicated partners.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about ConAgra Foods Foundation’s support of hunger initiatives in Texas.

(Source: conagrafoodsfoundation.org)