Press Room

For all press inquiries, please contact:
Debbie DePoala at [email protected] or 212-629-0853
On Wednesday, Nov. 2, the nonprofit organization WhyHunger hosted its inaugural Amplified benefit concert at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. The event, committed to eradicating hunger and poverty,…
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WhyHunger’s Amplified Hungerthon Kickoff Concert was held at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City on Wednesday night. The benefit for the non-profit organization working to end world hunger and the…
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The WhyHunger Team has shared that it has teamed up with Tedeschi Trucks Band to offer fans a chance to win an unforgettable day with Tedeschi Trucks Band members, along…
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"The answers are in the farmers' hands," said Betty Fermin, co-director of the Global Movements Program at the nonprofit WhyHunger. "They're making sure they have seeds that are better quality,…
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Kristen Wyman, co-director of global movements at the nonprofit WhyHunger, told Axios that even though disaster recovery ushers in a "mass movement" around aid, long-term solutions — like restoration of…
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Lorrie Clevenger, senior co-director of U.S. programs at WhyHunger, a nonprofit focusing on solutions to hunger, says she’s troubled that with the COVID-19 emergency ending, there’s a return to old…
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Patricia Rojas, a New York City-based hotline and database manager at anti-hunger nonprofit WhyHunger, said that more people are calling in to get access to food pantries due to higher…
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"State action in particular would help push Congress to adopt a national right to food, said Noreen Springstead, executive director of WhyHunger, a non-profit organization that advocates for healthy food…
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““I will say it is a very ambitious goal to end hunger by 2030,” Noreen Springstead, executive director of WhyHunger, a New York-based global organization, told VOA via Zoom. “There's…
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"Noreen Springstead, executive director of the anti-hunger organization WhyHunger, said the whole-of-government nature of the summit will hopefully produce greater alignment across the multiple federal agencies that deal with hunger…
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“’We know that 50 years of chronic hunger in America demonstrates that this crisis is caused by low wages, worker exploitation along the food chain, structural racism, and policies that…
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“Noreen Springstead, executive director of anti-hunger organization WhyHunger, is hopeful the conference will produce lasting results, but said unless there is a “massive paradigm shift,” it’s hard to see how…
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By Abby J. Leibman and Noreen Springstead, Opinion Contributors With nearly 12 percent of Americans struggling to put food on the table, food insecurity in America is clearly a national…
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The offerings include Byrne and Yo La Tengo covering “Who Has Seen the Wind?,” Deerhoof doing “No, No, No” and Japanese Breakfast trying “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do.” A…
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WhyHunger advocates for food as a human right, not a privilege. The organization strives to end hunger through community-led solutions and social movements. WhyHunger views hunger as a systemic issue;…
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Co-written by Wendy Heipt, a human rights attorney and a member of the board of WhyHunger, a nonprofit founded in 1975 by the late musician Harry Chapin and Radio DJ…
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(WhyHunger Find Food Database mentioned on list of ways to give back) With everything going on this year, this is the perfect time to take a breather and think about…
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The nonprofit WhyHunger called the vote “a transformative step in ensuring the protection of food as an unequivocal basic human right." "It is our hope that this historic amendment and…
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Over 100 drummers, including Ringo Starr have teamed up for a new cover of The Beatles' Come Together as part of WhyHunger's Drum Together campaign.
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WhyHunger’s work has taken on a new urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has drastically increased rates of hunger and poverty around the world. For Max Cameron, the charitable component of the project…
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Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is part of a massive, all-star group of the world's greatest skin pounders who've gathered for a cover of his band's "Come Together" for a good…
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“It’s incredibly rewarding to be a part of such a unique collaboration for an important cause,” Max Cameron tells Rolling Stone in an email. “There’s nothing like the power of…
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In the last 50 years, “a whole industry has developed around charitable feeding, yet we’ve barely pushed below the 12 percent food insecurity rate,” said Alison Cohen, WhyHunger’s senior director…
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Watch the video: By some estimates, four out of five Americans are one paycheck away from needing to rely on a food bank. Alison Cohen with the group WhyHunger says…
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Even before Covid exposed the precarious nature of many families’ food budgets, hunger relief organizations were beginning to realize they needed to do more than distribute food to end food…
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Watch the video: As a community gardener herself and director of food programs for the nonprofit WhyHunger, Suzanne Babb has been advocating for more funding for community gardens. "A community…
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“Tonight CBS presents Play On: Celebrating The Power Of Music To Make Change at 8:00PM ET/PT. Hosted by Kevin Bacon, this special will raise money for WhyHunger as well as…
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“Play On is a benefit for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and WhyHunger as viewers will be able to donate by texting “PLAYON” to 44-321 during the special.…
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“Known as Chat for Charity, the new partnership between Bonsai and WhyHunger – which is dedicated to ending hunger and its root causes in the U.S. and around the world…
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“Rounding out a season of giving, Minneapolis-based ADX Foundation donates $30,000 to WhyHunger for hunger alleviation. The ADX Foundation is the charitable arm of Minneapolis-based company ADX Labs, Inc. The…
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“Food diverted to charities is at the highest point in two decades, added Alison Cohen, a program director at WhyHunger. She says that access to food is a function of…
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“Emmy-award winning actress, comedian and author, Tiffany Haddish has teamed up with Vitafusion Gummy Vitamins to support Whyhunger’s Hungerthon!”
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“Swift autographed a folklore-themed guitar for WhyHunger's 35th Hungerthon drive, which aims, among the COVID-19 pandemic, to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S.…
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“For Noreen Springstead, executive director at WhyHunger, a national nonprofit organization working to end hunger and poverty, the pandemic has laid bare the cracks in the American food system —…
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“This food-access crisis is threatening to exacerbate the already glaring health disparities for vulnerable people including low-income families, children, and older adults […] WhyHunger has launched a crowd-sourced map to…
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“Fueled by WhyHunger, a leader in the movement to end hunger, the event had urban farmers and volunteers bundle more than 1,000 pounds of locally grown nutritious food and medicinal…
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“Together with a former Catholic priest and syndicated radio talk show host named Bill Ayres, Chapin dedicated his life to hunger relief. The pair formed the grassroots organizations WhyHunger and…
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“According to Saulo Araujo, the director of the Global Movements Program at WhyHunger, MST was the first international organization to receive the Chapin prize. “It’s a recognition . . .…
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Before the pandemic, 46 million Americans relied on food banks, and 50 percent of them either received SNAP benefits or had a family member with a full-time job, [Alison Cohen] says. Ending…
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According to Saulo Araujo, director of the global movements program for WhyHunger, which provides technical assistance to the People’s Agroecology Process, ‘Valuing the work of women, Native Americans, African Americans,…
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There’s a much bigger issue here, which is that this is not really a very financially efficient or effective way of meeting rising need,” said Alison Cohen, senior director of…
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The underlying problem was bound up with the increasingly punishing nature of the American economy, especially for people of color. Food banks were supposed to fill in the gaps. But…
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In spite of the great work done by food banks and meal-assistance programs, hunger continues to proliferate. Alison M. Cohen, senior director of programming at WhyHunger, a social justice organization…
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The music and technology industries have joined forces to launch SongAid, an ongoing effort to fight the global hunger crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting on May 29, each…
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Tuttle has also announced that 100 percent of the proceeds from digital streams of “Helpless” will be donated to WhyHunger’s Rapid Response Fund, providing immediate economic relief and direct support to…
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Still, in many cases those urban areas are better equipped to handle increased hunger than rural areas because of population density, infrastructure and the prevalence of emergency food sites, says…
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" Before COVID-19 hit, 37 million Americans were struggling with hunger," Noreen Springstead, executive director of WhyHunger, said. "By integrating our database of tens of thousands of food providers into…
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WhyHunger's executive director Noreen Springstead, told Newsweek that the SNAP program was an important tool in staving off increased levels of hunger. "It needs to be amplified because that is a way to…
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The call volume has increased by 300 percent just in a short period. We have had people calling, desperate for food," WhyHunger's executive director Noreen Springstead told Newsweek. "They are in…
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Phish chose the WhyHunger non-profit organization to support through the first replay. Donations made to the band’s The WaterWheel Foundation on Tuesday will be donated to WhyHunger, "which provides critical…
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If you are looking for food assistance, call the WhyHunger Hotline: 1-800-5HUNGRY or 212-629-8850, ext. 4, or text your zip code to 1-800-548-6479 to find a local food provider, including information…
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"People who are the most vulnerable, depending on your race, your class, your zip code, and the type of work you do are really the ones that are hit the…
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According to WhyHunger, a national nonprofit organization working to end hunger and poverty, many food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens are canceling volunteer shifts altogether.
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According to WhyHunger, a national nonprofit organization working to end hunger and poverty, many food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens are canceling volunteer shifts altogether.
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I think what this [crisis] does is it illuminates the most vulnerable populations. That’s kids, hungry people, veterans, seniors, and the working families who rely on the emergency food system every…
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The majority of SNAP recipients who can work, do work, however 92 percent of the households who benefit from SNAP have incomes at or below the poverty line. Low wages…
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“We have the most-efficient emergency food system, and we have historically low unemployment,” says Noreen Springstead, the executive director of the nonprofit WhyHunger. “And still 40 million Americans are hungry.”…
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Based on original Carlos Santana “Supernatural” artwork, this one of a kind guitar mandala print can be worn as a traditional scarf, tied on a bag, or hung as a…
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We couldn’t agree more. It is heart wrenching to see federal employees in need of charity to feed their families. Yet, we wonder why the perpetual reality for some 46…
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Finally, the 34th annual Hungerthon drive kicks off on Friday, Nov. 1, and the “multifaceted campaign, which runs through the holiday season, raises critical funds for the fight to end…
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A survey of food banks and pantries released earlier this month underscores the difficulty of beating hunger using current methods. The good news is that 90% of the nearly 300 food…
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If we have any hope of eradicating hunger, we need a new narrative. We need to shift our thinking from hunger as the problem, to looking at hunger as a…
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You may not know the name Noreen Springstead (yet), but she's proving to be a game-changer for, well, the entire world. Since 1992, she's worked for the nonprofit WhyHunger, which…
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Among the 300 guests were Monte Lipman, co-founder and CEO of Republic Records; Noreen Springstead, executive director of WhyHunger; musician John Mellencamp, honoree of the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award;…
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“John Mellencamp receives ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award at the WhyHunger 2019 "Chapin Awards" on June 6, 2019.”
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Alison Cohen is the senior director of programs at the global non-profit Why Hunger.  She says that poverty is the root cause of hunger. WhyHunger supports Neighbors Together and other…
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Releases & Alerts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Debbie DePoala 212-629-0853 [email protected] WhyHunger’s 38th Annual Hungerthon Campaign Concludes, Raising $1 Million to End Hunger  Multifaceted Holiday Campaign and Drive Celebrates Support from Consumers, Celebrities, Radio Partners and More New York (January 22, 2024) — Today, WhyHunger – a non-profit working to end world hunger and the injustices that cause it — announced the Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Alex Kofsky 301.775.1851 [email protected] WhyHunger Names New Board of Directors Chair Grows membership from Universal Music Publishing Group, ASCAP, The Bronx Community Foundation and more New York (December 12, 2023) – WhyHunger —a non-profit working to end world hunger and the injustices that cause it—announced changes to its Board of Directors. Leading the Board is Read More
Media Contact: Alex Kofsky 301.7751.851 [email protected] Celebrity Auctions and Experiences, Radio Partnerships, Musician Merchandise and More Help Raise Funds to End Hunger in America During the Holiday Season NEW YORK— November 1, 2023 — WhyHunger announced today the annual Hungerthon fundraiser and awareness drive returns for its 38th year. Conceived and hosted by WhyHunger – a non-profit working to end Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sabrina Christiansen [email protected] / ​801-836-0789 “Hunger in America has become normalized and that’s not ok. The problem runs deeper than these figures reveal.” NEW YORK (October 25, 2023) – Jenique Jones, executive director of WhyHunger – a non-profit working to end world hunger and the injustices that cause it – issued the following statement on the Read More

Highlights

Videos & Publications

“Food justice is not a passive movement. If you are actively working on food justice, you have to be actively working on dismantling the injustices that you see. The injustices that fall along race, gender, land acquisition, land grabbing, job opportunities, wealth, etc.” Karen Washington, farmer, activist (BUGs, Rise and Root Farm) and long time friend of WhyHunger, explains in
The People’s Agroecology Process emerged in 2015 as a grassroots-led initiative to scale out agroecology in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. It was inspired by the work of allied organizations involved in the transnational peasant and small-scale farmer movement, La Via Campesina—the world’s largest rural social movement with over 200 million members in more than 80 countries. In
In the U.S. and around the globe, women are growing food for their families, young people are using agroecology to harvest produce for market, and Indigenous communities are protecting ancestral land and seeds to sustain themselves. These are some of the true solutions to hunger that nourish people and planet and put affected communities in charge of their own health and well being. In
Canadians have a right to food – sort of. In accordance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the Canadian government ratified in 1976, everyone living in this country has a right to food. That makes the government the duty bearer in ensuring that people can feed themselves, their families and their communities. This does not

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