Cargill Program Donates $3.3 Million to Hunger Relief

MINNEAPOLISCargill has donated more than $3 million to combat hunger across the globe as part of its "Nourishing People" challenge. Last year, Cargill challenged its businesses to reach out to local hunger relief organizations to address immediate needs and provide long-term solutions to hunger. From helping U.S. food banks restock shelves during the holiday season, to building school kitchens in Honduras, the program resulted in $3.3 million in food and monetary donations.

"The need for hunger relief in our communities is urgent. We called this the Nourishing People challenge because as a food company we are committed to nourishing people around the world and using our leadership in food and agriculture to tackle the complex challenges of nutrition and hunger," said Mary Thompson, president of Cargill Kitchen Solutions, the largest contributor of eggs to Feeding America, which is the leading hunger relief organization in the United States.

Through the Nourishing People challenge, Cargill contributed more than $1.1 million in new funding to organizations affiliated with Feeding America. This included supplying Feeding America's National Produce Program with more than 495,000 pounds of egg products from Cargill Kitchen Solutions.

When asked about the impact Cargill's donation will have on a local level, Keith Williamson, regional director of the Second Harvest Foodbank of Clark, Champaign and Logan counties in Southwestern Ohio said, "We'll not only be able to provide more food for the people who need relief from hunger, but we're going to help very worthy agencies avoid closing their doors because of a lack of funds, at a time when our communities need them the most."

In Honduras, Cargill worked with longtime partner CARE, a leading global humanitarian organization that fights global poverty by empowering women and girls, to build kitchens and enhanced storage in 15 schools that will impact more than 5,000 children. In addition, Cargill will provide products and volunteer support so the children have greater access to healthy food.