We are hearing a lot of “firsts” lately.  Hardworking Americans unable to find work for the first time in their lives.  Former middle class families forced to go on food stamps, just to survive.

Ellen contacted us recently to share her story of a heartbreaking “first”:

I am a single mother, who lost my full-time job.  It took me several months to find employment.  But, I have only been able to find part-time work.  I fell behind in my mortgage payments, and my child and I will soon be forced out of our home when the bank forecloses. I wasn’t able to afford food, so for the first time in my entire life, I had to apply for assistance…I thank God that I am able to at least feed my child.  I keep praying that God will lead me through these troubles and help me save our home.

Ellen is struggling, but at least she is able to feed her family.  Unfortunately, many of those who need assistance the most in this new economy are unaccustomed to asking for help.  They don’t know where or how to get assistance.

We receive e-mails from many of these bewildered families, unaware of who to turn to for help, and embarrassed to have to ask. 

Through our network of thousands of partner agencies all across the country, we are able to help families like these, who might otherwise fall through the cracks. 

Donors like you help us provide the food to stock the shelves of community food pantries, soup kitchens and other agencies across the country—and provide for American families who find themselves in real need for the very first time.

Thirty years ago, I met a Haitian boy named Jerry. He asked me for a few pennies to buy a piece of bread. He hadn’t eaten all day.

What neither Jerry nor I realized right away was that his simple request would eventually help change the lives of millions of children around the world.

My encounter with Jerry that day opened my eyes to the extreme and needless poverty endured by children around the world.

Here was a boy starving for food—in a country just hours away from the U.S.—while farmers in America had a surplus of grain that was literally rotting from lack of demand.

Feed The Children was born from my encounter with Jerry—and from the realization that in a world of plenty, no child should go hungry. Not Jerry, not any child.

Thirty years later, we carry on our mission to ensure that hungry children around the world receive the food and care they need to live healthy, vibrant lives. Last year alone, we were able to supplement over 800,000 meals every day for hungry children and families.

The legacy of Jerry’s story endures in the work we do every day—work that you make possible.

According to a recent CNN report, 32 percent of Americans polled have cut back on food and medicine.

When money is tight, we naturally buy fewer luxury items.  After all, how many of us really need that new boat or 52-inch flat screen TV?

But seeing so many of my fellow Americans cutting back on essentials like food and medicine is heartbreaking.

Each week, we receive stories of families doing without vital prescription medications in order to be able to feed their families.  They simply cannot afford both food and medicine.

Ginger was laid off in January 2008.  Her husband was laid off six months later. They were devastated by the loss of a son in an accident that same year.  Because they didn’t have insurance, their savings were wiped out by this tragic event.

In addition to coping with their grief, Ginger and her family have been struggling ever since to make ends meet.  They have given up all doctors’ visits and prescription medications. Without insurance, they simply cannot afford health care.  

Feed The Children is committed to standing by families in crisis, like Ginger’s.  By providing food free of charge to those in need, we hope that the choice between essential food and life-saving medicine is one that few Americans ever have to make.