May 4, 2021
Another Feeding America conference, Voices Igniting Change, has come and gone, and I’m sure I’m not alone when I say how thankful I am that this organization has the dynamic Claire Babineaux-Fontenot as its inspiring leader! In a year where so many were impacted by the pandemic, which increased the need for food assistance, this national network of food banks was led by a visionary who cuts through the noise and leads with strength and grace.
During Claire’s opening remarks, she expressed distressing statistics on the realities of hunger in America:
- Native Americans and other Indigenous people are three times more likely to struggle under the burden of food insecurity.
- Three million elderly people (60+) struggle with food insecurity.
- Twenty-seven percent of LGBTQ people say they do not have enough money for food.
- Forty-two million people are hungry in America.
“No county, no matter how wealthy, is immune to food insecurity. … We need each person facing food insecurity to have people who care about them. People like you, people like me, people like us. … What will it take? It will take all of us and then some … it requires that we learn from one another, that we create big tables and we add many chairs. No one among us knows all the answers, but the good news is, no one among us needs to.”
Thankfully, even though many more are hungry due to COVID-19, there are more still who are eager and able to help out their neighbors in need. Discover how to keep donors engaged with your cause in a "post-pandemic" world. The fight to end food insecurity will take all of us — from visionary leaders to volunteers, from community partners to donors. We are honored to work to this end with our food bank clients around the country. Learn more about how we connect generous donors to their local food bank.