Background
Economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has left unprecedented numbers of individuals and families suffering financial devastation and increasingly dire levels of hunger and food insecurity. Surging unemployment rates as a result of shuttered businesses and shelter-at-home mandates, combined with disruptions and shortages in the food supply chain, have seen food banks experiencing inordinate strain, with more demand than many facilities can accommodate.
Globally, the United Nations World Food Programme has warned that an estimated 265 million people globally could face acute hunger and food insecurity by the end of 2020. This is almost double from the 135 million people before the crisis as a result of pandemic impacts.
In the U.S., with many low-income families dependent on school meals, school closures have seen the number of people struggling to feed their children more than double since the start of the pandemic. Thankfully, neighbors and volunteers around the world are mobilizing to fill the gaps in their local communities and get food to those most in need.
In response to this increased need, A Well-Fed World created the Covid-19 Relief Fund in support of our record number of grant applications for plant-based feeding programs. Below, are just a few of the many emergency food distribution projects we are supporting in the U.S. and globally during this crisis.
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The Greener Kitchen (Baltimore)
The Greener Kitchen is a plant-based cooperative kitchen, vegan food distributor, deli, and caterer in Baltimore, Maryland with a mission to make delicious, sustainable, and healthier plant-based foods more affordable and accessible to their community. In response to Covid-19, they note: “With the recent restrictions imposed on people in U.S. cities due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, there has been a considerable strain put on people in marginalized communities who often are most impacted by economic and social disruptions. The Greener Kitchen is committed to getting nourishing plant-based foods to the people who need them the most.”
Feeding Georgia Families
In addition to their ongoing vegan food pantry and free community vegan meal programs, Feeding Georgia Families (FGF) has been working overtime to provide more food assistance to the elderly and medically at-risk through drive-thru pantries, emergency food box door-to-door delivery, and ship-to-home emergency food boxes. Through their vegan food bank, emergency food aid, snack kits for low-income students, and holiday community meals, FGF’s ongoing efforts and partnerships provide food for 80,000+ people throughout the state each year. More than 1,200 families a month now receive food assistance directly through FGF.
Five Loaves Atlanta
Five Loaves Atlanta was founded by activist Aisha Robinson, who believes that “access to cruelty-free food should be a right and not a privilege.” To that end, Aisha works tirelessly to secure plant-based food, clothing and hygiene donations from businesses and individuals in her community, which she then distributes, along with help from her mother and son, several days a week to people in underserved neighborhoods that are experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
Grassroot Movement in Nepal
Our dedicated Plants-4-Hunger grantee, non-profit organization Grassroot Movement in Nepal (GMIN) has mobilized for months to provide additional relief to those experiencing heightened vulnerability and food insecurity in Nepal during Covid-19. Their efforts include providing health and hygiene supplies, assisting schools in converting to quarantine spaces, and providing plant-based meals to individuals and families in need, including day-wage workers, migrant workers, and villagers. Our expanded Covid-19 assistance to GMIN facilitated distribution of 6,000 meals to 600 day-wage workers and their children. Get more updates on GMIN’s Covid-19 food relief at their facebook page.
Monastero Ortodosso degli Angeli (Italy)
Monastero Ortodosso degli Angeli is an ethical vegan Francescan monastery in Italy. Throughout the pandemic, they have worked to provide vegan food aid to the quarantined elderly and food insecure people during Italy’s long lock-down. The monastery also runs an animal sanctuary on their property, and have been taking in dogs and cats who were abandoned due to COVID fears. Through our grant, the monks were able to provide 350 plant-based meals to 50 families in nearby villages.
