Hunger affects more than 2 billion people around the world each year (that’s 25.9% of the world’s population), and the pandemic has added many new faces to the ranks of the food insecure. Images of people waiting in lines at food banks are heartbreaking and defy our stereotypes about who the hungry are and what they look like. They are the faces of families often hungry for the first time in their lives.
It is estimated that up to 132 million more people than previously projected could go hungry by the end of 2020 as the pandemic affects food supply chains, damages economies, and devastates communities. The global need for hunger support far outpaces the world’s ability to meet the demand. Collaboration between nonprofit organizations, corporations, government, and NGOs is vital to help those in need get the nutrition they require to thrive.
Thus, helping meet the nutrition needs of communities is the driving factor for Herbalife Nutrition’s Nutrition for Zero Hunger initiative, a global program aligned with the second United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal, which seeks to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security and improved nutrition.
The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet 2% of its population, or more than 5 million people, can’t afford to eat a healthy diet. The socioeconomically disadvantaged often have little if any savings to fall back on when times are tough, increasing their vulnerability.
The pandemic has changed the face of hunger in the U.S. Research shows that 20% of adults living with children said they couldn’t afford to feed their families over the last seven days, according to census data analyzed by the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities.
Ultimately, hunger hurts those most vulnerable — our children. Malnutrition has a profound effect on children and can weaken immune systems and brain function. The damage to children can be lifelong, as their health may be affected well into adulthood. Hunger can create a cycle of poverty that becomes near impossible to repair.
As continued closures and social distancing orders meant to limit the spread of the pandemic extend across the country, the impact is being felt in communities of all sizes. The pandemic is disrupting the lives of nearly everyone in some way and dramatically increasing the number of food-insecure individuals, who number over 37 million (11.5%), including over 11 million children. With unemployment still high — approximately 23 million workers filed for unemployment benefits within the last four weeks — the number of people who experience food insecurity is growing exponentially.
As hunger surges in the U.S., food pantries and soup kitchens have expanded to fill the need. In 1980 there were several hundred emergency food programs. Today, there are more than 50,000.
Martha’s Table, a local nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., has made it its mission to support healthy children, strong families, and strong communities. The organization believes that every child, regardless of zip code, should have the opportunity to thrive. For 40 years, Martha’s Table has worked to increase access to quality education, health and wellness resources, and nutrition for families. The organization proudly works with numerous corporate partners, including the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation, which in turn funds such grants to charitable organizations all over the world to ensure children receive healthy nutrition, nutrition education, and the support of community volunteers.
Our collaboration with Martha’s Table, based on a shared vision, has helped fund programs such as Joyful Food Markets, which was hosting more than 7,000 unique elementary school-age children and their families each month during the school year. And since the outbreak of the pandemic, the foundation has supported the organization’s emergency food response, a program that has distributed more than 50 tons of food (fresh fruits, vegetables, and nutritious pantry items) every week since mid-March. These and other supported programs allow hungry families to thrive in these challenging times.
We are proud of our collaboration and our shared desire to help feed the growing number of hungry families in communities across our country and around the world. We hope that people will open their hearts and wallets now more than ever to help fund these much-needed programs or volunteer their time to support the many organizations within their community to help combat hunger and food insecurity.
Randall Popelka is vice president for global government affairs at Herbalife Nutrition.
