Volunteer Locally
Pitch in at your local hunger relief organization by sorting or distributing food and meet neighbors along the way.
Mission Control: Unleash Your Inner Hunger Action Hero
Every action adds up. Every meal counts. You have the power to change lives.
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You Can Be a Hunger Action Hero Too!
Every action counts. Whether you are a teacher, student, or supporter, small steps can create a ripple effect, strengthening the network of heroes committed to fighting hunger and reducing food waste. By taking part, you can educate others, inspire action, and make a tangible difference in your community.
Wondering how to take action? We’ve got you covered. Explore these sparks to get started:
Help Your Community:
Host a Food Drive
Collect non-perishable goods or surplus items for your local hunger relief organization to support families in need.
Host a Fundraising Event
Set up a lemonade stand, snack booth, movie night, or walk/run to raise money for hunger relief and food rescue.
Chalk the Block
Create a campaign like “Chalk the Block” where you draw messages of kindness with chalk on your neighbors sidewalk in exchange for a donation to your fundraising campaign.
Donate Your Birthday
Instead of gifts, ask for donations to help fundraise for your local hunger relief and/or food rescue organization.
Start a Community Garden
Team up with friends, family, and neighbors to grow fresh fruits and veggies and discover the joy of eating what you grow.
Take Action at School:
Create a Hunger Action Heroes Club
Rally fellow students to learn about hunger and food waste and take collective action.
Set Up a Share Table in your School Cafeteria
Encourage classmates to share unwanted (and untouched) food instead of tossing it.
Start an Edible Garden
Grow fresh food while learning how to care for the planet.
Compost at School
Turn lunch scraps into super soil to help your school garden grow.
Host Zero-Waste Lunch Days
Challenge your classmates to bring lunches with no single-use packaging and no food waste.
Create a Hunger Awareness Campaign
Use posters, morning announcements, and/or social media to spread facts about hunger and food waste at your school.
Fight Food Waste at Home:
Cook With Leftovers
Turn surplus ingredients into tasty meals (banana bread from overripe bananas, yum!).
Freeze Extra Food
Save food for later to prevent spoilage.
Compost Scraps
Transform food waste into soil for gardens.
Inspire and Advocate
Ask Local Stores and Restaurants to Donate Food
Encourage restaurants and shops to give surplus food to food rescue programs.
Create Educational Content
Make a video or presentation to raise awareness about hunger and food waste in your community.
Advocate
Write letters, make posters, or talk to elected leaders about hunger and food waste.
Did you know?!
Hunger hides in plain sight. The face of hunger could be anyone’s neighbor, classmate, or coworker.
Hunger and food waste are challenges that affect millions of people across the United States, yet each of us can take action to make a difference.
Hunger In America
- More than 50 million Americans turned to hunger relief organizations for food assistance last year (Feeding America).
- 1 in 5 children, or over 13 million kids, do not have access to enough food to live an active, healthy life (Feeding America).
- Hunger exists across the country, and no community is untouched (Feeding America).
FOOD WASTE In America
- In 2023, nearly 31% of all food produced in the U.S. went unsold or uneaten (ReFED).
- That’s 63 million tons of food ending up in landfills, incinerated, down the drain, left to rot in fields, and more (ReFED). That’s the weight of 10 million 12,000-pound elephants.
- This waste accounts for almost 120 billion meals, valued at $338 billion (ReFED).
- As much as $1.7 billion worth of food is wasted in schools across the United States each year (World Wildlife Fund).
- Globally, food loss and waste contribute 8% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, nearly five times the total emissions from the aviation sector (United Nations Climate Change).
47
Million people in the U.S. experience food insecurity
120
Billion meals' worth of food goes to waste each year
1 in 5
Children don’t have access to enough food to live an active, healthy life
$1.7
Billion worth of food is wasted annually by schools
“Enough food is wasted each year in the U.S. to feed every hungry person more than three times over.”
Understanding the scale of these issues is the first step toward meaningful action. Every meal saved, every food drive organized, and every awareness campaign contributes to reducing hunger and protecting the environment.
“Every pound of food rescued is a meal that does not end up in a landfill.”
What is Food Rescue?
Food rescue means saving good food before it gets thrown away and making sure it reaches people who need it. Heroes collect extra food from places like restaurants, grocery stores, farms, and schools. Instead of ending up in landfills, that food gets transformed into meals for people who need it.
Food rescue is powerful because it fights hunger and helps the environment by cutting down greenhouse gas emissions. Volunteers, drivers, and community partners work together as a team, picking up, transporting, and sharing food quickly and safely.
When you participate in food rescue, you help feed people, protect the planet, and build stronger communities. Want to see it in action?
Find Your Local hunger relief organization
Want to take immediate action in your own community? Use Feeding America’s directory to locate food banks, pantries, and other hunger relief programs near you. Volunteering, donating, or organizing local events is simple when you know where to start.
By connecting with your local food rescue organization, you become part of a network of heroes making a real difference. Every contribution ensures that good food reaches families who need it and that your community benefits from the collective effort of dedicated volunteers, students, and supporters.
Heroes In Action & In The News
Comic book superheroes fight back against hunger
Dana Williams works for Feeding San Diego and came up with the contest that led to the comic. Demeter is...
"Hunger Action Heroes Unite!" | Feeding San Diego releases comic book to support hunger relief
“Hunger Action Heroes Unite!” is now available. Proceeds from the book will support Feeding America’s critical hunger-relief efforts.
Kids Create Heroes to Fight Hunger
Is there a hero who can help feed people? That’s what two California teens are hoping. Their award-winning hunger-fighting creations...
Meet Feeding San Diego’s new hunger-fighting superheroes
The winning designs from Feeding San Diego’s ‘Hunger Action Hero Art Contest’ are on display at the Comic-Con Museum in...
Heroes Helping Heroes: San Diego Unites to Fight Hunger
San Diego’s got heart, and we’re proving it once again with the second annual Uniting to Combat Hunger Food Drive....
Comic book superheroes fight back against hunger
Dana Williams works for Feeding San Diego and came up with the contest that led to the comic. Demeter is...
"Hunger Action Heroes Unite!" | Feeding San Diego releases comic book to support hunger relief
“Hunger Action Heroes Unite!” is now available. Proceeds from the book will support Feeding America’s critical hunger-relief efforts.
Kids Create Heroes to Fight Hunger
Is there a hero who can help feed people? That’s what two California teens are hoping. Their award-winning hunger-fighting creations...
Meet Feeding San Diego’s new hunger-fighting superheroes
The winning designs from Feeding San Diego’s ‘Hunger Action Hero Art Contest’ are on display at the Comic-Con Museum in...
Heroes Helping Heroes: San Diego Unites to Fight Hunger
San Diego’s got heart, and we’re proving it once again with the second annual Uniting to Combat Hunger Food Drive....
Be the Hero Someone Needs Today
Join the mission. Share the story. Change the world.
Whether you are a teacher looking for classroom tools, a parent seeking to inspire your kids, or a supporter ready to make a difference, Hunger Action Heroes Unite! gives you the power to take action.
