WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company announced today that No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America, is an honoree in its first-ever "Brands That Matter" list, which recognizes brands whose impact goes beyond simply offering products or services. Each company and nonprofit selected has achieved relevance and forged an emotional connection with its supporter base, whether leading on the environment or pop culture, engaging B2B customers, or responding meaningfully to current events.

Since 2010, No Kid Hungry has worked to ensure all kids have access to three meals a day, seeing significant strides toward that goal in the last decade. In 2020, as the U.S. faced dual pandemics—the health and economic crisis created by COVID-19 and a reckoning with racial injustice—No Kid Hungry found its mission uniquely positioned at the intersection of both. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the U.S. hunger crisis and sent child hunger rates skyrocketing, all while placing a spotlight on the disproportionate hunger rates among communities of color. No Kid Hungry was quick to identify areas with the most urgent needs and organize around three strategies:

• Help connect families to free meals by building an online meal finder map and promoting it across the U.S., resulting in more than 230,000 families finding free food resources in their communities in the last eighteen months.
• Send quick, flexible funding and provide guidance to its network of partners on the ground that feed kids and families.
• Advocate for policies that put more money in families' pockets and make it easier for schools and meal providers to feed kids—from Pandemic EBT and USDA school nutrition waivers, to the Child Tax Credit.

As a result, since March 2020, No Kid Hungry has provided more than $99 million in grant funding to 2,355 schools and organizations feeding kids across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and Guam—the majority of which has supported communities of color.

"We are honored and humbled to be among Fast Company's 'Brands That Matter' because we've seen that what we do truly does matter in the lives of so many kids," said Tom Nelson, president and CEO of Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign. "At the onset of the pandemic, we witnessed a perfect storm of families that were already experiencing hunger beginning to struggle more deeply, along with those facing hunger for the very first time. Today, we're still seeing the devastating impact with 1 in 6 kids who may face hunger. We're grateful that the foundation we built in the decade before the pandemic has positioned us to be a go-to source for groups feeding kids, an impactful voice for policies that feed families, and a partner for those looking for ways to help."

The final list, which appears in the magazine's November issue, includes 95 brands, ranging from large multinational conglomerates, to small-but-mighty companies and nonprofits that each give people compelling reasons to care about them—and offer inspiration for others to join in. Fast Company's editors judged each applicant on relevancy, cultural impact, ingenuity, and business impact. See the complete list of honorees here.

"Fast Company is excited to highlight companies and organizations that have built brands with deep meaning and connections to the customers they serve. At a time when consumers are holding companies to very high standards, businesses have much to learn from these brands that have garnered respect and trust," says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company.

The November issue of Fast Company magazine is available online now and will be on newsstands beginning November 2, 2021.

To learn more about No Kid Hungry and its work to ensure all kids have access to meals, visit NoKidHungry.org.

About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com.

About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 6 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org. 

Media Contact: Andrea Holliday; [email protected]

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SOURCE No Kid Hungry