Global Hunger Relief Campaign
Hunger is the world’s biggest health risk. Each year, it kills more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. Close to 900 million people do not have enough to eat and 98 percent of them live in developing countries, according to the World Food Programme.
Even in developed countries like the United States, 15 percent of households were food insecure at some point during 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meaning its members had uncertain access to adequate and safe food.
In 2011, 5.1 percent of all U.S. households (6.1 million) accessed emergency food from a food pantry one or more times. Photo and data courtesy Feeding America.
Cisco has a long-term commitment to work with hunger relief agencies globally to address the immediate need of hunger and food insecurity. In fiscal year 2012, Cisco employees volunteered more than 11,000 hours to help food agencies serve those in need.
Hunger is also the focus of the company’s signature employee giving campaign--the annual Global Hunger Relief Campaign--which celebrated its 10th year in 2012.
Food agencies in the United States and across the globe leverage volunteers, technology, and cash donations to serve millions each year. For example:
- In Bangalore and India, Cisco supports Akshaya Patra, which operates 19 kitchens serving 1.3 million underprivileged school children mid-day meals. Without Akshya Patra, those children would have to work to earn that meal and would be unable to attend school and get the education they need to break the cycle of poverty.
- Cisco partners with the Trussell Trust in the United Kingdom to provide a minimum of three days of emergency food support to families who are not able to afford the meals they need. Something as simple as an unexpected bill can cause a financial crisis and food insecurity for a low-income family.
- In the U.S., Cisco supports over 100 local hunger agencies like the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which collects and distributes 35 million pounds of food to families in the state of Georgia annually.
- Cisco provides grants to organizations like Project Bread in Massachusetts, which will use a $42,000 Community Impact Cash Grant to pilot the Chefs in Schools program in Lawrence Public Schools. The program teaches kitchen staffs how to prepare healthy, cost-effective meals that kids like to eat.
Cisco employee volunteering and giving to hunger agencies is multiplied by matching funds from the Cisco Foundation year-round.
Cisco employees in San Jose, California get ready to pack meals for Stop Hunger Now in November 2012.
Food agencies utilize technology, along with the expertise of Cisco employees and partners, to continually improve efficiency and effectiveness in serving those in need. For example:
- Feeding America, which provides food to more than 37 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, uses technology to enhance its food bank network’s capacity to move food and resources throughout the country. Cisco has partnered with the organization on the Athena Technology Program, a 5-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.
- The North Texas Food Bank has deployed IP telephony to enhance its customer service operation, and IP cameras to provide added physical security for all for the food bank’s locations. Wireless access points enable the use of wireless handheld devices to track inventory movement.
Cisco employees donate and log volunteer hours to food agencies through Cisco’s unique global matching gifts IT solution, Community Connection. This tool allows Cisco to quickly aggregate and approve donation matches during the Global Hunger Relief Campaign and throughout the year, and disburse matching funds.
Improved technology is helping Feeding America streamline its food distribution system, potentially saving $1.5 million over five years.
Cisco is working to address the immediate need of global hunger through a layered approach that includes volunteering, cash donations, technology donations, and technology expertise to hunger relief agencies globally.
In 2012 alone, Cisco employees donated $1.7 million to the Global Hunger Relief Campaign. With matching funds, overall donations surpassed $4 million--enough for nonprofit organizations to provide more than 16 million meals.
The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina says the 157,000 volunteer hours donated to it annually by the local community equal the work of 75 full-time staff members.
U.S. hunger statistics: U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. hunger and poverty statistics: Feeding America
Global hunger statistics: World Food Programme
Cisco Global Hunger Campaign: Yearly Impact Summaries:
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