#1. World Food Programme
The World Food Programme (WFP) is one of the largest UN agencies helping 86.7 million people in around 83 countries every year, and delivering food assistance in places of emergencies, as well as working with communities to build resilience and improve nutrition. The WFP is an emergency-responder, with 5.600 trucks, 20 ships and 92 planes on the move every day, delivering food assistance to people struck by conflicts, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The organization implements projects focusing on nutrition while targeting mothers and children and malnutrition in developing countries. It also implements school feeding programs around the world and provides school meals to more than 16 million children in 60 countries. It provides cash-based transfers that allow people to shop and choose their own food locally. The WFP employs around 17.000 staff worldwide, of whom over 90 % are based in the countries that require assistance.
#2. Care
Care is a global organization dedicated to ending poverty and protecting dignity of people. It works around the world to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice with a vision of “a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security”.
One of Care’s goals is having 50 million poor and vulnerable people improve their nutrition and food security. Therefore, the organization’s work is focused on responding to emergencies to enable fishers, small scale farmers, and pastoralists to increase their productivity, access markets, and ensure the nutrition of their families. The organization is particularly focused on the role of women as consumers and food producers through its program She Feeds the World, to strengthen women’s voice, gender equality and inclusive governance.
#3. The Hunger Project
The Hunger Project is an international non-profit organization with a vision of “a world where every woman, man and child lead a healthy, fulfilling life of self-reliance and dignity”. The Hunger Projects implements programs in Asia, Africa and South America, that aim to mobilize rural communities to achieve sustainable progress in nutrition, family hunger, health and education.
The mission of the organization is to end hunger and poverty. It currently works in 16.075 communities and empowers women and men living in rural areas to overcome hunger and poverty by themselves. The three essential elements of this organization’s work are: empowering women as key change agents, mobilizing communities for self-reliant action and fostering effective partnerships with local governments.
#4. Bread for the World
Bread for the World (Bread) is a collective Christian organization based in the US, working to end hunger at home and abroad. The organization advocates against policies and programs that allow hunger and poverty to persist and is vocal in the US Congress to change policies in its own countries and around the world to help people who struggle with hunger.
Bread equips people to meet with members of Congress, to write personal e-mails and letters, and to work together with others to end hunger. It works through campuses, churches, and other organizations to advocate for change. It organizes advocacy campaigns to pass or block laws that impact poverty and hunger and builds the political will to tackle deeply these two issues.
#5. Clean Cooking Alliance
The Cleaning Cooking Alliance is a global organization working with a network of partners to build an inclusive industry that makes clean cooking accessible. According to the organization, three billion people around the world depend on open fires and inefficient stoves to cook their food, which directly impacts their health, as well as climate and the environment. Thus, achieving universal access to clean cooking solutions requires innovative technologies and business models.
The Cleaning Cooking Alliance’s work evolves around three core pillars: first, driving consumer demand for cleaner and more modern stoves by awareness raising; second, mobilizing investment to build businesses capable of delivering and affordable and high-quality clean cooking products; and third, advocating for effective policies that address the issue. Clean cooking transforms lives by providing healthier nutrition to affected individuals.
#6. Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger is a global organization that works to end hunger around the world. The primary goal of the organization’s primary goal is to create a better way to deal with hunger and malnutrition in nearly 50 countries. The organization employs around 7.500 field staff who assist more than 21 million people in emergencies caused by food crises, natural disasters and conflicts.
Action Against Hunger focuses on families with young children. Its goal is double the number of children who receive urgent hunger care, from three million to six million by 2020. The organization also deals with other issues evolving from hunger, such as nutrition and health, water and sanitation, emergency response, food security and livelihoods. Action Against Hunger saves lives of children and their families and enables them to provide for themselves. The organization constantly searches for innovative and effective solutions to push for long-term change and free world from hunger.
#7. Akshaya Patra
The Akshaya Patra is an Indian NGO established in 2000 with an aim to eliminate classroom hunger by implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme program in the government funded schools in India. Since then, this NGO has become the world’s largest organization in this program, serving wholesome food to every school day to over 1.8 million children from 16.856 schools across twelve Indian states and two union territories in the country.
The core goal of the organization is to eliminate malnutrition amongst children and to support the right to education for children whose parents and families are unable to afford it. The organization partners up with the government of India, as well as several state governments, and enjoys support from corporations and individual donor to feed the children in schools, and to leverage technologies to multiply its reach.
#8. Feeding America
Feeding America is the leading organization in the fight against hunger in the US. Its mission is “to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage country in the fight to end hunger”.
Feeding America is the largest network of food banks, meal programs and pantries in the US. It serves 46 million people through 200 food banks in almost every community in America. It was established 40 years ago and since then it has implemented innovative ways in combating food waste and providing fresh food to hungry people across the continent. The organization believes that everyone, including governments, charities, businesses, and individuals, play a role in ending hunger in the US.
#9. Rise Against Hunger
Rise Against Hunger is a global organization the recognizes that ending hunger is more than just feeding people. The organization is driven by the vision of a world without hunger and its mission is to end hunger by providing food and aid to the most vulnerable people in the world.
The organization mobilizes a global network of the so-called hunger champions or meal packaging volunteers who produce millions of means each year that are, then, distributed to partners in countries across the world. The partners of the Rise Against Hunger locally distribute meals, using their knowledge and presents, while the Rise Against Hunger ensures that meals distributed as used as tools to promote education, improve health and nutrition, and stimulate economic growth. The organization also responds to emergencies and natural disasters and promotes programs of agricultural production to reduce hunger.
#10. SPOON
SPOON was established in 2007 with a vision of a world in which all children and nourished and valued. Since then, the SPOON has worked with leading experts in the fields of nutrition, pediatrics, orphan care, epidemiology, feeding, disability, child development and public health. SPOON’s work is science-based, accompanies with strong evidence and results.
The organization advocates for policies for better nutrition and feeding for children with disabilities and children without family care. It works with policy makers to design guidelines and push for policies to ensure all children are nourished. Organization’s program Count Me In is especially designed for children with disabilities and those living in institutions. Through this program, SPOON monitors children individually and offers recommendations to caregivers in a form of a care plan for every child. The program considers nutrition, growth, and feeding techniques, which, eventually results in better health and higher quality of life for children.
#11. UNICEF
UNICEF is one of the largest UN agencies dedicated to helping children in need. It works around the world to help children survive and thrive. Amongst many programs, the UNICEF implements the nutrition program and is the part of the major global initiative called the Scaling Up Nutrition, which drives focus and investment for nutrition in many countries around the world.
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries worldwide saving lives of children. A key component of its work is nutrition, which is often implemented through an emergency feeding program during famine and disaster situations. The organization also established community clinics that offer nutrition education to young mothers. It is safe to say that today, UNICEF is the largest supplier of food for malnourished children in the world.
#12. Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels is one of the largest organizations in the US supporting more than 5.000 community programs that deal with addressing the issue of hunger and isolation of senior populations. The organization virtually serves every community in America and employs around two million staff and volunteers who deliver nutritious meals and pay friendly visits to seniors in America. This enables them to lead nourished lives and live in dignity.
The Meals on Wheels serves approximately one million meals a day using two methods of food distribution: through direct delivery of food to seniors and adults with disabilities at their home, or through serving of meals to groups of people in community centers or care facilities. The organization also implements programs that allow seniors to live in their own homes for as long as possible and avoid costly alternatives such as hospitals and nursing home care services.
#13. Heifer International
Heifer International was established in 1944, and since then it has become a global non-profit organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way by supporting and investing in local farmers and their communities. The organization works in 21 countries worldwide to build livelihoods for local farmers and strengthen local economies.
Heifer International works in partnership with the communities it serves and implements programs that support entrepreneurs. The organization donates livestock such as chickens, cows, and goats and provides mentorship to help local farmers build a business and gain access to market chains. In this way, families are able to earn for their livelihoods and increase their incomes which directly boosts security and nutrition and improves environmental sustainability. One such program is called Passing on the Gift, in which every farmer passes on their first animal female offspring, providing another family in need with an opportunity to improve their livelihood.
#14. Mealshare
Mealshare is a non-profit organization located in the US and Canada, that is committed to ending hunger amongst youth. The organization allows all people to participate in achieving its mission without asking them to make changes in their own lives.
The organization works with charities worldwide and restaurants to provide food for children and youth worldwide. The Mealshare employs ‘’one for one’’ model which enables people to select restaurants and other places and pay for the meal, which, later on, is distributed by the Mealshare team to a child in need.
#15. Project Concern International
Project Concern International (PCI) is a global development organization that uses innovation to end hunger, enhance health, overcome hardships and assist women and girls to achieve changes in their lives. PCI currently works across Asia, Africa and the America, transforming lives of nearly ten million people.
PCI implements the food security programs, while trying to identify the primary causes of this issue to ensure sustainable solutions. Through its work, it addresses food security pillars in its programs so that it can offer comprehensive, contextualized and integrated interventions. The organization uses integrated approach to prevent hunger and malnutrition through programming in climate smart and nutrition sensitive agriculture, livelihood security and strengthening access to markets, improving health, nutrition and hygiene practices, integrated food for education programs. These approaches are driven by strong community engagement and ownership and a commitment to working towards sustainability.
#16. Penny Appeal USA
Penny Appeal USA is a non-profit development organization working to alleviate poverty through sustainable programs. The organization tackles the root causes of poverty and bridges the gap between funders and poor communities to achieve long-term solutions that can help intergenerational poverty.
The organization implements the Feed Our World Program to meet immediate hunger needs worldwide and domestically. It provides nutritious meals in more than 30 countries and current operates in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kashmir, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen. Through this program, the Penny Appeal USA helps people to lift themselves out of food poverty.
#17. Alliance to End Hunger
The Alliance to End Hunger was established in 2001 as a platform for both secular and faith-based organizations to join in fight against hunger. It has more than 90 members consisting of NGOs, faith-based organizations, corporations, individuals, healthcare providers, foundations, associations and universities.
The organization implements the program called The Hunger Free Communities Initiative, that brings together local stakeholders to work on ending hunger in their local communities and across the US. Additionally, through the National Alliance Partnership Program, the organization builds the capacity of civil societies in developing countries to engage in food security, agricultural and nutrition policy processes. Lastly, the Alliance to End Hunger advocates for ending hunger by bringing together policy makers to learn about the issue of hunger.
#18. Feed the Children
Feed the Children was founded in 1979 in the US as a non-profit organization focused on reducing childhood hunger. The organization is active in the US and a number of countries worldwide in which it implements a Child-Focused Community Development approach with programs related to food and nutrition, health and water, education, and livelihoods.
Feed the Children works with vulnerable children and local communities to improve their social, economic, cultural, and environmental conditions. The goal of the organization is to improve the security of mothers and children in the area of food and nutrition by providing them with necessary skills to achieve this. Feed the Children employs around 600 staff internationally, who work in close relations with other organizations and actors to achieve long-term sustainable changes.
#19. Food for the Hungry
Food for the Hungry is an international organization that seeks to end all forms of human poverty by assisting the most vulnerable people in over 20 countries around the world. The organization follows the Christian belief that every person has intrinsic value and that everyone should be assisted to regardless of their race, religion, or nationality.
Food for the Hungry provides life-changing resources such as food, clean water, medical aid, as well as education and vocational training. The organization actively works on improving livelihoods of communities by providing them with training in agricultural practices. By implementing new techniques, communities successfully grow enough food and raise enough livestock to feed their families and earn additional income by selling the excess of produce at the market.
#20. CARITAS International
Caritas International is a confederation of over 160 members working together in almost every country of the world-reaching out to the poor, vulnerable and excluded organizations regardless of their religion and races. The headquarters of the organization is placed in Rome, while all national Caritas organizations are members of regional Caritas networks and the international confederation.
Amongst other issues related to poverty, Caritas advocates for the right to food, where everyone receives adequate and nutritious food. The organization addresses the lack of food by working on the root causes of hunger. Thus, it actively promotes rural development and agriculture and addresses climate changes to ensure that communities are less vulnerable. Caritas teaches communities on importance of eating well and growing the right food. During emergencies, Caritas distributes food and provides supplementary feeding to the most vulnerable.
#21. Seed Programs International
Seed Programs International is a global non-profit humanitarian organization with a vision ‘’of a world in which even the poorest, most disadvantaged people have access to viable seed and the knowledge to grow and utilize food’’. The organization’s mission is to provide good quality seed, expertise, and training materials to humanitarian organizations working around the world to end hunger and poverty.
The organization believes that providing people with good seed and training to grow food can help in reduction of hunger and improvement of nutrition. This is achieved by enabling people to grow vegetables which are rich in micronutrients usually missing from their diets and are often essential for health. These programs also improve people’s livelihoods because it enables them to earn their income by selling excess produce and reduce their dependency on donated food.
#22. Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development (AIARD)
AIARD is an association composed of international members who have devoted their careers to hunger alleviation and agricultural development. Members of AIARD are professionals from NGOs, universities, private sector companies and government agencies. The mission of the organization is to improve quality of life of all people by developing global capacities to respond to new challenges and helping to improve food security, eliminate poverty, and protect the environment to stimulate economic growth and sustainable development.
The Association mobilizes support for international agriculture and rural development by influencing policy makers, institutions and donors and informing them on effective strategies to advance these two issues in the global economy. AIARD also promotes interaction and cooperation amongst all organization involved in international development, as well as expands their abilities to implement development programs.
#23. Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) was founded in 1985 as an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. CNFA’s mission is to increase and sustain rural incomes in less developed areas of the world by assisting farmers and rural entrepreneurs, with a goal to build a world without hunger.
The organization works with communities, businesses, governments and foundations to meet growing demands for food around the world. The organization assists farmers by enabling agribusiness financing, improving marketing and strengthening the market linkages in Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Africa, the Caribbean and South and Central Asia.
#24. Edesia Nutrition
Edesia is a non-profit organization with a mission to help treat and prevent malnutrition of most vulnerable populations in the world. Edesia is known for manufacturing specialized ready to use foods. Every year Edesia delivers millions of packets of food to malnourished children all over the world through a channel of humanitarian workers, working in the hardest to reach places. Currently, the organization employs around 100 people from 25 countries.
Edesia’s approach in addressing malnutrition is global, including vulnerable groups such as young children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, people affected by AIDs and similar. Additionally, Edesia supplies products for organizations working in emergency situations along with the nutrition programming.
#25. World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen is an NGO that provides meals during disasters. It was founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres in 2010, as a response to earthquake disaster in Haiti. Since then, the organization has distributed meals in Cambodia, Peru, Cuba, Nicaragua, Zambia, Uganda, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
One of the core activities of the organization is advancing the clean cooking sector by supporting institutional activities and programs in countries, to ensure that women from around the world have affordable access to cleaner cooking solutions in their homes. Last but not least, the World Central Kitchen conducts culinary programs to school cooks in underserved communities that are conducted by culinary professionals and deal with food safety and training.
#26. WhyHunger
WhyHunger is an NGO that works to address root causes of hunger, such as racism, poverty, sexism, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression. The organization works with a vision of ‘’social justice in which all members are physically and psychologically safe and where everyone has access to resources they need to fully participate, thrive, and succeed’’.
WhyHunger advocates for the right to food by acting in solidarity with social movements around the world. The organization also works to amplify community voices and produces stories and publications to share experiences of its partners as they work towards changing the broken food system. The core of WhyHunger’s work is growing grassroots power by building and supporting movements, as well as allying with grassroots organizations and leaders.
#27. Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is an international organization that provides emergency relief during times of disasters and crisis, and helps communities build resilience to cope with future disasters by providing food security, agriculture education and medical services. Mercy Corps tackles hunger by addressing its causes and improving systems that enable access to food.
Mercy Corps connects farmers around the world to the people and resources to increase their production and feed their families, as well as helps communities to improve their crops and livestock production. During crisis, the organization provides food assistance when food supplies are short or unaffordable. So far, Mercy Corps has improved access to nutritious food for more than 30 million people around the world.
#28. Lunchbox Fund
The Lunchbox Fund is a non-profit organization based in South Africa, working on lunch programs in early childhood development centers providing pre-school education, after school home assistance and skills development programs for orphaned children
One of the main activities of the organization is providing daily lunch at schools for children living in rural areas in South Africa. The school lunch is created from a box of products sent each month, with a food full of micronutrients to ensure that children receive up to 50% of their daily micronutrient needs. The organization monitors participating schools and collects data on the field to ensure the programs are conducted up to its standards. Support to schools is offered for a minimum of one year and sustained as long as school has a need.
#29. Food for the Poor
Food for the Poor is one of the largest faith-based international development organizations in the US. The organization’s work is motivated by faith in God and spreading of love to all people regardless of their race and origin. Food for the Poor currently operates in 17 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Food for the Poor provides lifesaving food, secures housing, clean water, healthcare, emergency relief, micro-enterprise projects and education to the poor. The organization implements its activities on the ground through local churches, clergy and community leaders by empowering them and supplying them with goods. According to the organization’s statement ‘’the poor in spirit are renewed by their relationship with and service to the poor through our direct ministry of teaching, encouragement and prayer’’.
#30. One Acre Fund
One Acre Fund is an NGO that works to end hunger by serving and supporting farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Malawi. The organization provides seeds and fertilizers to farmers based on credit, that makes these supplies affordable and accessible. In 2017, the One Acre Fund served more than 500.000 farm families throughout East Africa and currently is on track to serve one million farmers by 2020.
Amongst other activities, the organization conducts agricultural trainings on improvement of harvests and helps farmers to build relationships with local traders and safely store their crops. This helps farmers improve their harvests and produce more food for their families and communities. One Acre Fund estimates that, by 2020, farmers who participate in its programs will produce a surplus of food to feed an additional five million neighbors.
