America's Second Harvest

AMERICA'S SECOND Harvest is the largest domestic hunger relief organization in the United States. Through a national network of food banks, the organization helps feed 23 million hungry people annually by distributing food that is consumable but cannot be sold by grocery stores. More than 500 national grocery and food service companies contribute surplus food to America's Second Harvest regional food banks where it is sorted, warehoused, and distributed to organizations that provide food directly to hungry people.

America's Second Harvest defines hunger as the inability to purchase enough food to meet basic nutritional needs. It distributes food, educates the public about hunger in the United States, and advocates for public policies that address the needs of hungry people.

The concept of food banking began in the late 1960s when a volunteer at a local food bank in Phoenix, Arizona, began soliciting donations of food products that would otherwise go to waste. Soon, more food was generated than the soup kitchen could use, and a warehouse was established to store the donated products for distribution to other hunger-focused charities. The practice spread throughout the United States assisted by federal grants and the 1976 Tax Reform Act, which provided corporate tax incentives for the donation of surplus food.

Second Harvest was founded in 1979 as a network of 13 food banks and distributed 2.5 million pounds of food that year. In 1999, the organization's name was changed to America's Second Harvest with a new goal—ending hunger in the United States. In 2005, America's Second Harvest secured and distributed 1.8 billion pounds of food and grocery products to more than 200 regional food banks and food rescue operations in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Products were distributed to 50,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, women's shelters, Kid's Cafes, and Community Kitchens.

In 2002, the organization merged with Foodchain, the nation's largest food rescue organization. Food rescue programs are designed to distribute to hungry people ready-to-eat surplus food from banquets, cafeterias, and restaurants. Distribution of prepared meals through food rescue programs reduces food waste and complements the distribution of unprepared food, the traditional staple of food banking.

America's Second Harvest educates the public by producing research, disseminating information about hunger through the media, and sponsoring activities such as National Hunger Awareness Day 2005. Its reports Hunger in America 2001 and Hunger in America 2005 are comprehensive studies of emergency food providers and consumers in the United States. Amer-ica's Second Harvest frequently partners for education and advocacy with organizations such as Food Research and Action Center, Bread for the World, and the Congressional Hunger Center. The organization's Hunger [Page 35]Action Center provides information about current federal and state hunger-related legislation and facilitates contacting policymakers.

Community Kitchens train underemployed persons in basic food preparation skills while using donated food to prepare balanced meals for hungry people. During disasters America's Second Harvest works with the American Red Cross providing relief supplies to emergency feeding centers. A network of 1,000 Kid's Cafes provides free and prepared food and nutrition education to hungry children in schools and other locations where children congregate. The National Backpack Program provides children with food for the weekend when they do not have access to free and reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches.

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