Giving back
Providing food and hope for families with Feeding America
Since we began as a founding partner more than 40 years ago, General Mills has contributed more than $37 million to support the Feeding America network.
Addressing a Need
For many individuals and families, accessing a nourishing meal can be challenging. Exacerbated by expired pandemic-related supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) funding, the need continues to increase.
Feeding America estimates approximately 1 in 6 people turned to charitable food assistance for additional support in 2022. Additionally, a recent survey found that 80% of Feeding America food banks reported either increased or steady demand for emergency food services in June 2023.
"We have all experienced firsthand how a meal goes beyond solely nourishing our bodies," says Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. "Access to nutritious food is essential for each of us to reach our full potential and reminds us that we can all help to create positive change in our communities to ensure that no one goes hungry in America."
A History of Tackling Hunger
General Mills is grounded in the belief that each individual, family and community should be food secure and free from hunger. For more than four decades, General Mills has supported Feeding America – the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a powerful and efficient network of food charities nationwide – through philanthropic giving, product donations, disaster support, investments in food recovery innovation, volunteerism and more.
Our Impact
- Enabled 431 million+ meals through General Mills food donations since 2000
- Contributed $37 million to support the Feeding America network since 1979
- Provided $3.4 million in transformational funding to develop food recovery app MealConnect, enabling 5 billion+ lbs. of good surplus food to be rescued
“As a global food company, we have a responsibility and opportunity to use our scale for good,” says Nicola Dixon, director of Global Impact at General Mills. “We are at work every day to alleviate hunger and are so grateful for our partnership with Feeding America to support our shared communities and neighbors in need.”
Advancing Equitable Food Access
As part of General Mills’ commitment to advance equitable food access, we direct our philanthropy and align employee volunteerism to support food banks and other anti-hunger organizations that are working to target and close racial disparities in food security, given the disproportionate impact of hunger on communities of color.
Feeding America and General Mills are working together to strengthen food bank capacity and address racial disparities across the U.S. Over the past two years, General Mills’ support has included a $575,000 contribution to Feeding America’s Equitable Food Access grants program, which combines support from multiple donors to help 30+ network food banks provide nutritious food to people experiencing the highest rates of food insecurity in communities of color and rural areas.
How You Can Help
September is Hunger Action Month, so we are encouraging you to get involved and bring awareness to important solutions to address food insecurity in the U.S. See below for ways you can help make an impact and spread the message.
DONATE
- Make a financial gift or product donation to Feeding America or your local food bank.
VOLUNTEER
- Find your local food bank and pledge to volunteer in your community.
WEAR ORANGE
- Wear orange―the color of hunger relief―throughout the month of September to spread awareness while demonstrating your commitment to the movement to end hunger. Post a photo to social media and use the hashtag #HungerActionMonth.
To learn more about how General Mills is standing for good and building strong communities, visit here.