ConAgra Foods Foundation's Giving to Feeding America Food Banks in Texas Tops $500,000

CHICAGO, Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Feeding America®, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization, announced today that the ConAgra Foods® Foundation has donated $100,000 to four Texas hunger initiatives, bringing their support of Feeding America-led Texas hunger programs to more than $500,000. In partnership with Feeding America and Texas food banks, ConAgra Foods supports programs that are helping alleviate hunger for children and families in Texas, which has the second highest number of food-insecure children in the nation. This latest contribution is in addition to an ongoing five-year, $10 million partnership between Feeding America and ConAgra Foods Foundation.

The newest Texas hunger grants will support four Feeding America member food banks, including the San Antonio Food Bank; Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas; South Texas Food Bank in Laredo; and West Texas Food Bank in Odessa. In San Antonio, ConAgra Foods' grant will fund a pilot program to help enroll more Latino families in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In McAllen, Laredo and Odessa, the grants will be used to fund child hunger programs such as Kids Cafes and BackPack meal programs.

The $100,000 grant was awarded to Feeding America food banks in Texas after findings from two studies supported by ConAgra Foods Foundation made it clear that areas of Texas have extremely high rates of child hunger. While the national average for child hunger is more than 20 percent, in Zavala and Starr counties child hunger is at 50 percent according to Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap report. Additionally, Feeding America and the Urban League's joint study found that Latino families are disproportionately under-enrolled in federal programs for children and families struggling with hunger.

"To effectively fight hunger, we need more than passion; we need knowledge and a better understanding of the factors that can lead to hunger and food insecurity," said Kori Reed, Vice President, Cause and Foundation at ConAgra Foods. "By supporting Feeding America's child and Latino hunger research, we were able to identify specific areas of need and to invest in programs led by Texas food banks that are poised to help their communities overcome hunger."   

"ConAgra Foods has been a wonderful partner in the fight against child hunger," said Vicki Escarra, Feeding America's President and CEO. "Their thoughtful investments in Texas display a continued commitment to fighting child hunger. This combination of focused research and willingness to target areas of intense need make ConAgra Foods a valuable partner."

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About ConAgra Foods Foundation

The ConAgra Foods Foundation, through its Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform, is dedicated to raising awareness of the more than 16 million children in America who are at risk of hunger and don't 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, that take an innovative approach to addressing needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.conagrafoodsfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/ConAgraFoodsFoundation. The ConAgra Foods Foundation is funded solely by ConAgra Foods.

Media Contact:
Ross Fraser
Feeding America
[email protected]
312.641.6422

SOURCE Feeding America