Feeding America
Nearly 50 million Americans cannot afford a consistent supply of nutritious food. Nonprofit food banks supplement what these food insecure families can afford to buy, but often demand outstrips their resources.
Feeding America and its 202 member food banks are feeding 1 million more Americans each week than they did in 2006. Each year, the Feeding America network delivers 3 billion pounds of food to 37 million people, including 3 million seniors and 14 million children.
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Hunger puts children at risk for illness and low academic achievement and makes adults more likely to develop chronic
illnesses. Photo courtesy Feeding America
Feeding America relies on a vast human network—202 member food banks that deliver 3 billion pounds of food to 37 million people each year through 61,000 local charitable agencies.
Recognizing that technology could enable this already powerful network to reach even more people with more resources, Cisco and the Cisco Foundation have contributed cash, products, and employee expertise to several key technology initiatives.
Thousands of Cisco employees are also part of the Feeding America network, contributing volunteer time to Feeding America member food banks nationwide.
Feeding America website
Feeding America on Twitter
Feeding America on Facebook
Cisco employees contributed nearly 5000 volunteer hours to Feeding America network food banks in the last fiscal year. Photo courtesy Feeding America
Feeding America uses technology to enhance its network’s capacity to move food and resources throughout America in the fight against hunger.
The Athena Technology Program is a five-year effort to migrate member food banks to a common technology platform. Food banks that are piloting the Athena platform are already enjoying reduced costs for such things as transportation, purchasing, marketing, and IT.
And the organization’s new web-based Transportation Management System is reducing transportation costs across the entire network and freeing staff to spend their time identifying cost-cutting measures instead of managing deliveries.
Feeding America website
Feeding America on Twitter
Feeding America on Facebook
One of the 14 million children served each year through the Feeding America network. Photo courtesy Feeding America
The Transportation Optimization Project funded in part by Cisco could save as much as US$1.5 million over five years, enough to provide 12 million meals.
Cisco employees are devoted supporters of Feeding America member food banks, contributing 4800 volunteer hours in the last fiscal year alone.
A Cisco Foundation match of US$10 per volunteer hour translated to US$48,000 in cash donations to the food banks in fiscal year 2012–enough to provide 384,000 more meals for people at risk of hunger.
Feeding America website
Feeding America on Twitter
Feeding America on Facebook
Strong human and technology networks enable Feeding America to reach even more people with more resources. Photo courtesy Feeding America
Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap Tool
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