Kids Against Hunger is a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
owned by Richard Proudfit, up until his death on November 14, 2018. It was established with the mission to significantly reduce the number of hungry children in the United States and to feed starving children throughout the world. This is being achieved by getting volunteers involved, and by setting up food packaging satellites in the US, and through partnerships with humanitarian organizations worldwide – enabling Kids Against Hunger to deliver its specially formulated rice-soy casserole to starving children and their families in over 60 countries. The Kids Against Hunger network currently includes about 100 food packaging centers with the goal to establish 500 packaging centers in all 50 U.S. states.
History
Kids Against Hunger was started in March 1999 by
Richard Proudfit, a
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
businessman, under the name
Feeding Children International. He eventually set up a program under this organization called "Kids Against Hunger". This name is now used to identify the company.
Since its start in 1999, Kids Against Hunger has provided a total of 162 million meals to children and families in need in 65 countries.
The organization is also actively involved in the hunger relief efforts following the recent
earthquake in Haiti by providing millions of meals to the victims.
Food
Kids Against Hunger's meals have been formulated by food scientists to provide a rich source of easily digestible
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
,
carbohydrates, and
vitamins
A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrien ...
needed by a malnourished child's body and mind. The food also accommodates to the broad
diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
of ethnic tastes and religious differences around the world. In 2012, Proudfit received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged due to his work with the organization, an award given out annually by
Jefferson Awards.
Kids Against Hunger's meals offer all nine of the
essential amino acids
An essential amino acid, or indispensable amino acid, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized from scratch by the organism fast enough to supply its demand, and must therefore come from the diet. Of the 21 amino acids common to all life form ...
required for complete nutrition.
The vitamin formula is a