Feeding America estimates more than 50 million people received charitable food assistance sometime in 2023
This figure reflects the number of unique individuals estimated to have received food one or more times during the year from charitable food distributions, including distributions from food banks, food pantries, and other private food assistance programs. While Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, distributing more than 5 billion meals in the year 2023, the estimate is designed to account for individuals who participated in any charitable food distribution, both inside and outside of the Feeding America network of food banks, food pantries, and community-based organizations.
Our estimate of charitable food assistance participation, combined with other measures, data, and insights, can help improve understanding of the barriers that keep millions of people from thriving and the programs and resources that exist to help people access enough food for themselves and their families.
Charitable food assistance participation is related to but distinct from food insecurity, which the USDA defines as having limited access to adequate food due to a lack of money or other resources. Households that experience or are at risk of experiencing food insecurity can participate in charitable food assistance programs in an effort to make ends meet. The most recent data available for 2023 shows that food insecurity rates rose slightly compared to 2022 (+6%) and significantly since 2021 (+38%). More than 47 million people, including nearly 14 million children, lived in a food-insecure household in 2023. Despite signs of an improving economy, prices for food and other basic necessities have remained persistently high, pandemic-era programs continued to expire, and SNAP benefits remain inadequate. Feeding America’s estimate of charitable food assistance for 2023 reflects an increase compared to 2022, indicating that the charitable food sector remains a critical support for tens of millions of people.
