It is an astonishingly large number: 5.3 billion. That’s how many meals were distributed by the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organizationhot shot casino, Feeding America, in 2023 alone. In a country of more than 330 million people, it is evidence of how widespread and persistent food insecurity remains in the United States.

Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life. More than 13 percent of Americans — 47 million people — experienced food insecurity in 2023; the rates are even higher in Black and Latino communities. In some of the poorest regions of America, mostly rural areas in the South, food insecurity among children is as high as 48 percent. But it is present in every county in the country.

While lawmakers in local, state and federal government struggle to find long-term solutions, Feeding America, a network of roughly 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, is filling the void every day for tens of millions of Americans. It is one of the organizations supported by The New York Times Communities Fund.

Feeding America needs help to continue this essential frontline work. The average cost of a single meal may be only $3.99, but when that is multiplied by the millions of meals required, it adds up to $33 billion that families need and don’t have for groceries. After a temporary boost during the Covid pandemic, food donations and government funding have fallen off sharply, even as the demand remains steady.

Since 1911hot shot casino, The New York Times Communities Fund has supported vetted nonprofits that provide help to those in need. Donations are tax-deductible, and 100 percent of funds go directly to the cause.

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