- ConAgra Foods Foundation’s new
commitment - $10 million over 3 years is largest donation Feeding
America has ever received for fighting child hunger
- ConAgra Foods and the Foundation set
child-hunger-reduction goals for 2018
Despite 20 years of work, ConAgra Foods (NYSE:CAG) and the
ConAgra Foods Foundation believe much more progress must be made in
the fight against child hunger in America, where more than one in
five kids still might not know where the next meal is coming
from.
“As a leading food company, it is our responsibility to use our
knowledge and resources to help reduce child hunger and improve the
quality of life for millions of Americans,” says Gary Rodkin, CEO
of ConAgra Foods. “We are committed to making good food that
everyone can access and enjoy, and I have challenged our company
and the ConAgra Foods Foundation to take a deeper look at ways to
approach child hunger so we can make a more profound impact and
reach new goals by 2018.”
Since 1993, ConAgra Foods and the ConAgra Foods Foundation have
donated food and invested in partnerships to solve this social
issue, and are now leveraging that experience to be more effective.
More specifically, they are re-prioritizing goals that will make
advancements in the fight against child hunger, even when the
solutions go beyond food.
The company and Foundation are dedicated to addressing the
whole, albeit complex, issue by: 1) providing meals to kids when
and where they need it most; 2) helping families supplement and
stretch their resources to ensure they have access to and can
prepare affordable, nutritious meals; and 3) investing in local and
national programs, partnerships and sustainable solutions to
address hunger.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, the company and
Foundation reflected on their 20-year journey, asked new questions
and took action, including:
- When and where to invest:
Partnered with a third-party food security expert to scan the
research to determine evidence-based solutions and the key levers
to address food insecurity: SNAP, School Lunch Programs, emergency
food assistance programs, lowering food prices and improving family
financial management skills.
- Who to engage: Provide simple
ways for families to get involved including the Child Hunger Ends
Here code-entry program as well as establishing a variety of
volunteer efforts that mobilize kids and families in local
community projects, including donating food and more.
- What could be tested: Initiated
“Food Smart Families” in partnership with the National 4-H counsel
to empower kids and families with critical life-long skills on how
to cook nutritious meals on a budget.
- How to make an impact: Continued
as Feeding America’s leadership partner in the fight to end child
hunger and renew commitment to Feeding America at a deeper level,
feeding kids and building capacity to do more.
“All kids should be able to grow up with the food that they need
to live strong and healthy lives,” says Kori Reed, vice president,
ConAgra Foods Foundation and Cause. “That is why the Foundation not
only provides food to kids struggling with hunger, but also invests
in educating families and helping them address issues that lead to
hunger. We believe to truly solve this issue we must do more than
just provide food. That’s why we are often the first to fund new
research in regard to hunger, why we pilot models that focus on
root cause, and why we closely track results and metrics associated
with our work.”
New $10 Million Commitment to Feeding AmericaThe ConAgra
Foods Foundation is Feeding America’s leadership partner in
addressing child hunger. For more than 20 years, the partnership
has focused on a shared a vision—one in which every child in the
United States has access to the food they need to reach their
potential in school and life.
“This gift of $10 million over three years is the largest
donation ever made to Feeding America specifically to address child
hunger,” says Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “This investment
supports Feeding America’s mission-critical initiatives we have
built together with ConAgra Foods Foundation, including Hunger Free
Summer, Child Hunger Corps and the Child Hunger Venture Fund.”
Aiken adds, “These impact-driven solutions seek to enhance member
food banks’ ability to address the urgent needs of today as well as
build organizational capacity to test and scale innovative
approaches for tomorrow.”
ConAgra Foods and the Foundation have provided 370 million
pounds of food and, with this donation, have invested more than $48
million in child hunger programs since 1993.
Goals for the 25-year milestone for fighting child
hungerConAgra Foods and the ConAgra Foods Foundation have
established goals for more reduction in child hunger by 2018, which
will mark the Foundation’s 25th year of fighting child hunger.
ConAgra Foods and the ConAgra Foods Foundation are committed
to:
- Enabling two and a half million more
kids to have access to nutritious meals
- Providing more than 20 million meals to
kids when and where they need it most
- Closing the gap of needed meals by 25
percent in some of the company’s largest operating communities
- Amplifying the reach of non-profits and
mobilize the public through enabling 500,000 hours of volunteer
service toward reducing food insecurity
“These are aggressive goals,” says Rodkin. “And even when we
reach these goals, we will not be satisfied, because there will
still be hungry kids. But we believe through our ongoing commitment
and through our partnership with organizations like Feeding America
and many others who work alongside us, we can make a big difference
in addressing child hunger.”
About ConAgra FoodsConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is
one of North America's largest packaged food companies with branded
and private branded food found in 99 percent of America's
households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving
restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Consumers can find
recognized brands such as Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®,
Healthy Choice®, Hebrew National®, Hunt's®, Marie Callender's®,
Orville Redenbacher's®, PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®,
Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food
sold by ConAgra Foods under private brand labels, in grocery,
convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. Additionally,
ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as
well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to
commercial and foodservice customers. ConAgra Foods operates
ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides
consumers with easy dinner recipes and more. For more information,
please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.
About ConAgra Foods FoundationThe ConAgra Foods
Foundation, through its Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform,
is dedicated to raising awareness of the nearly 16 million children
in America who are at risk of hunger and live in food insecure
homes where they may not have enough food to live active, healthful
lives. It aggressively pursues sustainable solutions in the fight
against child hunger. And the Foundation is committed to building a
community of people who are passionate about ensuring that all kids
have access to the food and facts they need to eat nutritiously
while living balanced lifestyles and succeeding in school and life.
ConAgra Foods Foundation invests in national and local partnerships
with high-impact, not-for-profit organizations, such as Feeding
America and 4H that take an innovative approach to addressing
needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more
information, please visit www.conagrafoods.com
or www.facebook.com/conagrafoods. The ConAgra Foods Foundation is primarily
funded by ConAgra Foods.
About Feeding AmericaFeeding America is the nationwide
network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in
the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46
million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in
communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs
that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the
public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation
that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities,
businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate.
Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit
www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on
Twitter.
KetchumStephanie Tennessen,
312-228-6887Stephanie.tennessen@ketchum.comorConAgra
FoodsLanie Friedman,
630-857-1086Lanie.Friedman@conagrafoods.com
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