Our Work
Summer Meals
Our Summer Meals Program provides front-line service to kids and teens who are food insecure. The program offers meals to low-income students under the age of 18 who typically rely on school meals. Our program provides nutritious meals that includes produce sourced from local growers. We partner with over 40 community organizations, such as YMCA’s and Boys and Girls Clubs, to provide meals throughout the summer months. We believe these meals are an integral solution to fighting hunger and creating a healthier generation of future leaders. Currently, Alabama is ranked #2 in the nation for childhood diabetes and obesity. Providing access to healthy meals is our organization’s way of helping combat these preventable childhood diseases that are prominent among low income children.
End Child Hunger in Alabama
Feeding Alabama is a founding member of our state’s largest anti-hunger coalition – the End Child Hunger in Alabama Taskforce (ECHA), led by Auburn University and chaired by Governor Kay Ivey. Feeding Alabama will continue to build on the framework and partnerships currently being established to help provide education, advocacy, services and programs throughout Alabama. The relationship that Feeding Alabama has established through the ECHA Task Force, as well as through its programmatic work, has allowed us to broaden our relationship and assistance into breakfast in the classroom and community eligibility for schools.
Hunger Free Alabama
Feeding Alabama is a host and facilitator of Hunger Free Alabama. Hunger Free Alabama is a coalition of organizations working to end hunger in Alabama. Its mission is to prevent and eliminate hunger and malnutrition in Alabama by inclusively convening and coalescing a conglomerate of organizations and community perspectives and advocates for local, state, and federal policy. If you are interested in becoming an advocate for change in Alabama, subscribe to their mailing list and stay informed of issues affecting your community.
Statewide Work Groups
Feeding Alabama also created and leads the Alabama SNAP Workgroup. Our group first met in 2016, and has continued to meet on a quarterly basis. Our members include the state SNAP director with the Department of Human Resources (DHR), Peggy Fouts from the regional FNS/USDA office, several DHR staff, as well as community partners Alabama ARISE, Alabama Legal Services, Alabama Appleseed, E.A.T. South, and Feeding the Gulf Coast. The Workgroup has already been able to help minimize the impact on ABAWDS, begin to re-write documents such as the SNAP application to make it easier for clients to apply, and help communicate changes in the program through our network of providers. The Workgroup has also strengthened our positive relationship with the SNAP administrators, and created even more communications among our group.
Feeding Alabama co-created and co-chairs the Alabama Child Nutrition Programs Workgroup. Our group first met in 2022, and has continued to meet on a quarterly basis. The work group members include Alabama Department of Education (ALSDE), Alabama Arise, Alabama School Nutrition Association, and United Way of Central Alabama.
Federal Grants
The Feeding Alabama food bank network has been awarded funds from a variety of federal grants. The impacts from this grant funding will aid in building a more resilient food distribution system to rural communities and hard to reach communities throughout our state. The objectives for implementing the grants include the distribution of millions of pounds of locally grown fresh produce across Alabama’s 67 counties, equipment to increase capacity and distribution within the statewide network of food banks and their partners. and improvements at food banks to aid in food safety and storage. The outcomes of this work will increase food access for Alabamians.
Disaster Relief
Feeding Alabama collaborates with state and federal partners to educate, prepare and respond to disasters. These may be natural or manmade. We are an active member of ALVOAD, working with local and national organizations to respond to communities that have been impacted by a disaster.
Feeding America
Feeding Alabama is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, and we partner with a network of 200 food banks across the country. Together our network feeds 49 million people at risk of hunger, distributing 4.9 billion meals in 2022.
