Latest news with #hungerrelief
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How many Kansans will a semi of mac & cheese feed? Breaking down gift to food bank
How many people will 38,000 pounds of mac and cheese feed? Hungry Kansans are about to find out. The Kansas Food Bank in Wichita, which supplies 18 million pounds of food a year to agencies that help with hunger in 85 counties statewide, got a donation Thursday from Land O'Lakes for roughly 38,000 pounds of macaroni and cheese. It will start sending the food out Monday and Tuesday to food pantries and other organizations that support hunger. Kansas Food Bank President and CEO Brian Walker said the timing is perfect: School is out and more children are missing meals. There are food programs through schools, but not everyone will be able to make it to the school to get the food. 'It's really great because macaroni and cheese has made a comeback,' Walker said. 'If we go out to eat, I don't think there's a restaurant that doesn't have macaroni and cheese.' Land O'Lakes has made large donations in the past, he said, but an entire semi-trailer full of one item is always a significant donation. The pre-cooked mac and cheese can be boiled in the bag or popped in the microwave. Here is a breakdown of how much mac and cheese that is: 24 pallets full About 52 cases on each pallet (total of 1,260 cases) Each case has six 5-pound bags of macaroni and cheese Total weight: 37,800 pounds of macaroni and cheese That would be 81,067 servings of one cup (about 7.5 ounces each) The macaroni and cheese was provided through Land O'Lakes First Run. In a December 2024 post, the company said it donated 297,675 pounds of Land O'Lakes macaroni and cheese the past year and 7.3 million pounds of food since starting the program 14 years before. 'As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O'Lakes, Inc is deeply committed to hunger relief. This effort begins locally in the communities that our members and employees call home, many of them rural.' Land O'Lakes Senior Vice President and General Counsel Sheilah Stewart said in the 2024 statement. 'We are honored to help our Feeding America food bank partners get fresh, nutritious food directly to the families who need it most.' About 14% of Kansans fall under the threshold as being food insecure, according to Feeding America. The Kansas Food Bank said it is 20% for children.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hunger relief group says it's facing a $2.5 million budget shortfall due to federal cuts
Feeding South Dakota's Rapid City location on May 30, 2025. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota's largest hunger-relief organization says it faces a $2.5 million budget shortfall next year because of President Donald Trump's federal funding cuts. Feeding South Dakota CEO Lori Dykstra addressed lawmakers on a budget committee Friday in Pierre. She said the group has already cut the amount of food it provides and has merged distribution sites. She warned that unless the funding gap is filled, 21 food distribution events in 15 counties will be eliminated, affecting 3,400 families and eliminating more than 1.7 million meals annually. 'We're not here to say whether or not the federal funding decisions are right or wrong,' Dykstra said. 'We're just letting you know that one of the unintentional consequences is that the food safety net for Feeding South Dakota and for all of your neighbors facing hunger is at risk.' The cuts come from the rollback of federal aid by the Trump administration, particularly programs begun during the COVID-19 pandemic to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture support food distribution. Dykstra said the group must now find $2.5 million to replace lost USDA support in fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, or make cuts. Dykstra also warned that if the current budget reconciliation legislation in Congress is enacted, the state could be on the hook for 5% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and a larger share of SNAP administrative costs, adding up to a possible $13 million total state obligation. SNAP participants can use their benefits to purchase food. 'SNAP benefits get people out of food lines,' she said. 'So, it's either they're in the food bank line or they're in the grocery store.' Dykstra said 113,000 South Dakotans are food insecure, meaning they are uncertain about where their next meal will come from, often forced to skip meals, eat less, or purchase cheaper, less nutritious food. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CBS News
7 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Michigan cafe with "pay-it-forward" initiative receives nearly $200K from student fundraiser
A new breakfast and lunch spot in Livingston County, Michigan, encourages people to pay it forward. Recently, the shop received kindness payments through Howell High School's Senior Survivor Fundraiser. Ivy Table Café received word that it would be the fundraiser recipient, for which students raised nearly $200,000 for the charity. "It was honestly with the help of my family and friends, just really the community bonding together," said Howell senior John Curtin, who raised between $22,000 and $23,000. Jessica Smokovitz, who co-owns Ivy Table Café, says the business is a "pay-what-you-can restaurant" staffed by volunteers. Tips left on a meal go toward providing someone else's meal. Smokovitz began using the pay-it-forward model during the COVID pandemic to provide to-go meals out of a parking lot. "If you pay a little bit extra, you're helping to fund the meal of somebody who can't," she said. "Hunger is hidden here. It doesn't look like it does on the streets of Detroit." Smokovitz said the space is designed to feel like any other restaurant. "At any point in time, you can look around this room and you don't know who's here to be blessed and who's here to be a blessing," she said. She said every cent of the money from the fundraiser will be used, from stocking local food pantries to paying for meals at Ivy Table and a little bit of building upkeep. She said the funding was incredible news. "We consider ourselves this tiny little nothing of an organization, and to see that these kids wanted to buy into our vision and wanted to be a part of what we're doing was really incredible," she said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Organizations come together to put food on families' tables as school lets out for the summer
When Barbara Pickett pulled up to the front of Gullatt Elementary School in Union City Wednesday, her car was filled with hope. She needed it. 'It's hard during the summer, because the kids still need the food,' Barbara said. So many parents and grandparents whose little ones attend the school can have a hard time putting enough food on the table over the next few months. 'Many children come to school and sometimes it's the only meal they get. So as school breaks for the summer, it's a great time to provide,' Amazon's Sandy Gordon said. Amazon and the hunger relief organization, Goodr, teamed up to make it happen. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] They gave away enough groceries for the families of 125 students. Five dozen volunteers packed it up and packed it in cars at the drive-thru event. Koaleshia Simon says times are hard and groceries prices are high, so she appreciated the help. 'We all are working two jobs and we're barely making ends meet. I think it's a great idea. We all need help. It takes a village,' Koaleshia said. Barbara Pickett says it'll makes things a little bit easier this summer. 'Oh my gosh. It's extremely important for not just the kids, but the whole community,' Barbara said. TRENDING STORIES: GBI says teen brothers died of self-inflicted injuries on north GA mountain Facebook Marketplace car theft ring ends in dozens of charges for 2 women, Gwinnett police say Severe weather leaves behind multiple reports of damage [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa Harvest expands national fleet with new trucks
Food rescue and hunger relief organisation, SA Harvest has expanded its national fleet with the addition of several new trucks, including a refrigerated unit. This development marks a milestone in SA Harvest's mission to rewire South Africa's food system by transforming logistics inefficiencies into opportunities for equity and environmental impact. Every year, more than 10 million tonnes of edible food goes to waste in South Africa, while nearly 20 million people face hunger. The challenge lies not in food production but in getting surplus food to where it's needed. 'Hunger is a logistical crisis, not a scarcity crisis,' says Ozzy Nel, COO of SA Harvest. 'We don't aim to build the biggest fleet, but rather the most effective, collaborative movement of food in the country.' The new trucks will allow SA Harvest to access more remote and underserved areas, increase the volume of food transported, and improve resilience across its operations. The addition of a temperature-controlled unit also enhances cold-chain capability, ensuring the safe transport of perishable, nutrient-rich food over long distances. Each vehicle is an operational extension of SA Harvest's commitment to dignified and consistent food access. The power of SA Harvest's logistics model lies not in scale, but in smart, purpose-driven partnerships. While it operates a lean, targeted fleet, much of its distribution is made possible through collaborations with logistics providers who contribute underutilised resources, including empty return legs and short-term vehicle support. Case in point An example of this is a recent large-scale collaboration with a local farmer, one of South Africa's major producers of fresh vegetables, illustrates the power of SA Harvest's model. When a surplus of over 200,000kgs of butternut became available - produce that risked going to waste due to seasonal oversupply - SA Harvest mobilised swiftly. Through coordination with multiple logistics partners, the butternut was collected and delivered to over 40 community-based organisations in two provinces, where it was distributed to families facing food insecurity. In return, logistics partners receive Section 18A tax certificates for in-kind transport donations, access to environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting data such as carbon emissions prevented, and public recognition for their role in a replicable, systems-based approach to hunger relief. Technology plays a central role in the organisation's operations. SA Harvest integrates real-time analytics and a central Power BI dashboard to track key metrics, including food volumes rescued, emissions avoided, delivery efficiency, and cost savings to community partners. This infrastructure of vehicles, warehouses and digital systems supports a humanitarian supply chain built for transparency, impact and long-term sustainability. SA Harvest is inviting more logistics providers to join its growing network. Whether through occasional unused routes, shared warehouse space or temporary access to transport, the logistics industry can make a measurable difference. 'In the right hands, logistics becomes more than transport,' says Nel. 'It becomes a bridge between waste and want - a way to create meaningful, lasting change.'
