Despite being one of the richest nations on the planet, the United States has a severe hunger issue. More than one in six people in the US face hunger and food shortages on a daily basis, which is labeled as “food insecurity” by the USDA. Defined as the lack of access to a regular source of food for all members of a household, food shortages affect more than 20% of all families with children.
As of 2016, more than 19 million homes in the US suffer from regular food insecurity, with a further 49 million Americans struggling to provide healthy meals for their family on a regular basis. The hunger issues in the US are unique, as they aren’t caused by a lack of food, but are instead caused by societal issues and poverty.
One of the biggest contributing factors to the growing American hunger epidemic is the existence of “food deserts”. The food distribution network in the US relies heavily on fast food and processed instant food sources, creating entire regions in which fresh foods, groceries, and low-cost economical and nutritious food sources are completely unavailable.
The USDA defines food deserts as regions of the country in which healthy whole foods, vegetables, and fresh fruit are completely inaccessible. These areas, commonly intersecting with low socioeconomic status areas, contain no grocery stores. As the inhabitants of these areas often don’t have access to reliable transport, they are the most at risk of suffering from food insecurity.
More than 1 in 6 people in the United States are currently enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, colloquially referred to as “food stamps”, with more than half of these individuals under the age of 18. Paradoxically, the US discards more than $165 billion dollars in food every year, which is enough to feed more than 25 million people.
A new initiative devised by Feeding Children Everywhere, a non-profit charity dedicated to ending the US hunger crisis, is providing accessible, fast, and nutritious food assistance to millions of people around the United States through a groundbreaking app called Fed40.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the Fed40 program and find out how it’s helping hungry Americans, as well as check out how you can help end the hunger crisis in the United States.
What Is Fed 40?
Fed 40 is a new smartphone app that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The Fed40 app is a new initiative from Feeding Children Everywhere, a US-based non-profit organization that provides food assistance to families across the country. Feeding Children Everywhere describe their goal as “activating people for a hunger-free world”, and is committed to providing healthy, nutritious meals to individuals in need.
Launched in 2010, Feeding Children Everywhere has distributed more than 20 million healthy meals to people in need around the world, and works with a variety of supporting partners to achieve their goals, including Google, the NBA, Voya Financial, Chick-fil-A, and the Bank of America.
In addition to providing US families with access to free food via the Fed40 app, Feeding Children Everywhere also runs American Hunger, a charity that specializes in empowering people in need and delivering food to more than 40 million people.
To sustain their free food efforts, Feeding Children Everywhere operate a micro farming arm that allows Americans to donate their time and land, growing healthy, fresh vegetables and ingredients that are used in the Fed40 program.
How Fed 40 Works
The Fed 40 solution is one of the simplest food support systems available in the United States. By simply downloading the free Fed40 app or filling out a webform via the Fed40 website, families in need are able to access 40 individual meals that provide the body with all of the macronutrients it needs to thrive, absolutely free.
The Fed 40 system provides hungry families with 40 servings of All Natural Red Lentil Jambalaya, a nutritious combination of lentils, white rice, dehydrated vegetables, and pink Himalayan salt.
fter submitting a request through the app, families are provided with meals delivered directly to their door as fast as possible, helping to curb the spread of hunger across the US.
How You Can Help With Fed 40
If you’re interested in helping out with the Fed 40 system, Feeding Children Everywhere provide socially conscious individuals with the ability to donate via the Fed 40 website. Just $1 pays for 4 meals, with a $10 dollar donation providing an emergency Fed40 meal kit to a family in need.
It’s also possible to donate your time or land for Feeding Children Everywhere sustainable micro farming practices, or even run a Hunger Project in your area. Hunger Projects provide supporters with the ability to run a community event in their area to gather support for the Feeding Children Everywhere program, and require only a venue, participants, and enthusiasm to run.
