13 Food Charities to Give to This Holiday Season
With retailers urging us more than ever to buy for ourselves, it can be hard to remember that the holidays are supposed to be about, you know, other people. (Which is not to say you shouldn't get yourself a gift. You should.) Luckily, it's never been easier to atone for days of gluttony and avarice by helping the less fortunate—these food-related charities are a great place to start. Some of them feed the hungry; some of them promote sustainable farming and saving farmland; and some even vow to fight cancer with the power of cookies.
Want to find a food bank near you or pick a charity of your own? Charity Navigator is an invaluable resource—its directory lists thousands of food banks and charities around the world, gauging the efficacy, accountability, and transparency of each.
1/14Freerice.com: A project of the United Nations World Food Programme, this site tests your knowledge on a variety of subjects—whenever you answer a question correctly, they donate 10 grains of rice through the Programme, which aids 90 million people annually in 80 countries worldwide. (Photo: Charles Haynes/Flickr)
2/14Wholesome Wave: Michel Nischan, the chef and owner of Dressing Room, doubles as the CEO of this charity, which aims to increase the affordability of fresh, local food in urban and rural communities alike in 28 states across the country. (Photo: Wholesome Wave)
3/14Feeding America: As its name helpfully suggests, Feeding America is all about...feeding America. They fight hunger through a vast network of food banks, providing meals to more than 37 million Americans a year. (Photo: Feeding America)
4/14Waste No Food: Set up as a "web-based marketplace," Waste No Food encourages members of the food-service industry—like restaurants, supermarkets, and farms—to post excess food as it becomes available, thus allowing nearby charities to claim it. (Photo: Michael Fullam/Blogspot)
5/14Heifer International: It's a concept that's as novel as it is effective—Heifer gives a needy family some livestock and teaches them how to raise it. That family then passes on the first female offspring to another family. (Photo: Johan G/Flickr)
© Lamar Gore6/14Farm Aid: Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp first organized this concert series in 1985; every September, musicians and bands come together to raise money to keep family farms in business. (If Mr. Nelson's unique brand of laid-back folk rock isn't quite your jam, you can just donate money, too.)
7/14Action Against Hunger: A global organization, ACF International dedicates itself to saving malnourished children and providing access to potable water. (Photo: ACF Cambodia/Jean Lapegue)
8/14Coalition of Immokalee Workers: The CIW's Fair Food program works to improve conditions for workers on farms in Florida, where much of America's food is produced; it's also devoted to ending human trafficking. (Photo: CIW)
9/14Sustainable Harvest International: SHI works with rural farming communities in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, training impoverished families and communities in sustainable agriculture. (Photo: Sustainable Harvest International)
10/14City Harvest: By now, City Harvest is a venerable New York City institution; for more than 30 years, they've taken food from restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms, and redistributed it to needy people across the city. (Photo: City Harvest)
11/14Canstruction: At last, a charity devoted to "showcasing colossal structures made entirely out of full cans of food." Canstruction pairs art and altruism—around the country, they host exhibits featuring impressive can structures, and then they donate the canned food to hunger-relief organizations in the region. (Photo: Canstruction)
12/14Cookies for Kids' Cancer: This national nonprofit raises funds for pediatric cancer research. Bake sales are their secret weapon–and throughout the holiday season, any money you give them will be matched by Glad. (Photo: Cookies for Kids' Cancer)
13/14Blue Marble Dreams: The kind folks at Brooklyn's Blue Marble make fantastic ice cream, which means they're already Good Samaritans in our book—but they also operate this charity, which helps women in Rwanda and Haiti begin new lives as entrepreneurs. (Their business of choice? Ice cream parlors, of course.)
Randy Harris14/14Edible Schoolyard: The Edible Schoolyard aims to create an edible curriculum that educates students in kindergarten through high school. With hands-on experience in both gardens and kitchens, ESY teaches both practical skills about growing and cooking healthy food, and positive character traits, like confidence and teamwork.
