Casey Marsh, chief development officer, Feeding America
As destinations for and providers of sustenance, grocery stores are central to food security. It’s why many, if not most, food retailers partner with local food banks to support their communities.
One of the industry’s biggest partners is Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries and local meal programs that focuses on getting nutritious food to communities through efforts ranging from food donation sourcing to advocating for policies to end hunger.
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Progressive Grocer recently caught up with Casey Marsh, chief development officer for Feeding America, about the acute need for hunger relief in the U.S. and the importance of partnerships with grocers.
Progressive Grocer: How would you describe the current state of food insecurity in the United States, following years of disruption and challenges?
Casey Marsh: Everyone needs nutritious food to thrive and in every community in America, people are working hard to provide for themselves and their families. Yet in 2022, 44 million people, including more than 13 million children, faced hunger in 2022, which is one in seven individuals and one in five children.
This is the highest rate and number since 2014 and the largest one-year increase in food insecurity since 2008. In Feeding America’s most recent survey of network food banks across the nation from March 2024, 85% reported seeing demand for food assistance increase or stay the same in February 2024 compared to January 2024, a 40% increase from the previous year.
Food insecurity is about more than food. Our neighbors facing hunger tell us that cost of living, housing, employment, health and other factors — like the end of pandemic-era relief efforts — are among the top reasons why it’s increasingly difficult to afford and access the food they need to thrive.
We are capable of achieving a food secure future for everyone. We can succeed when people facing hunger are at its heart and policymakers, organizations and people everywhere are united with them to deliver innovative policies and programs that increase access, prioritize dignity, expand opportunity and improve health for all.
PG: How have your grocery partners – and their shoppers – stepped in to help in recent years? Are many retailers doing more in this area, as they are so close to their communities and food is part of their core business?
CM: We are really lucky to have long-standing, dedicated partnerships with some of the nation's top retailers and we’ve seen them continually step up to address food insecurity. But none of this would be possible without customers, shoppers, and neighbors participating. Whether it’s rounding up at check-out to contribute toward feeding others or purchasing products that trigger a donation with sale, these small choices make a real difference to communities within the network.
Cause marketing campaigns are perhaps the most effective fundraising efforts. We partner with stores like CVS, Walmart and Sam’s Club, Hy-Vee, Casey’s, Kroger, Albertsons and Food Lion to raise significant funding for food banks. By triggering a donation or a shopper rounding up their total purchase at checkout, these donations, which are often tied to the local food bank serving that store's community, make a real difference where consumers live and work.
One of our biggest cause marketing efforts was the (recent) “Walmart & Sam’s Club Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign. Shoppers can donate at the registers but can also buy specially marked packages of select products, which also trigger donations. And again, it's all connected to local food banks - and food industry partners, retailer suppliers and Feeding America work together. So far, the campaign has raised $186 million for the network in the past 10 years.
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That commitment extends beyond financial contributions, too. Walmart and Sam's Club have donated more than 8 billion pounds of food. The Walmart Foundation, meanwhile, has helped make it easier to access healthy foods through grants that address food insecurity in rural areas and through the funding of two major innovations: OrderAhead, a free online grocery ordering service, and the MealConnect platform, which links food donations to local food banks and partner agencies.