Hunger Free America

What Hunger Free America does

Hunger Free America is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan national nonprofit organization, founded in 1983 as the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and rebranded under its current name in 2016, that works to end domestic hunger through a combination of direct service delivery and policy advocacy. Headquartered at 50 Broad Street, Suite 1504 in New York City, the organization operates the USDA National Hunger Hotline (1-866-3-HUNGRY; 1-877-8-HAMBRE for Spanish), an SMS keyword service (914-342-7744), the Find Food online database and mobile application (findfood.hungerfreeamerica.org), and a New York City in-person Benefits Access office in the Bronx. It runs programmatic affiliates Hunger Free NYC and Hunger Free Idaho, an AmeriCorps VISTA Anti-Hunger Corps placing national service members at more than 50 partner organizations nationwide, and a Social Services Job Training Program in Illinois and Maryland funded by the Albertsons Companies Foundation.

The organization's technology stack is service-delivery oriented rather than AI-driven: a toll-free call center operation, an SMS keyword routing system, a geocoded resource directory searchable by address, and a mobile app layer over the same database. Original research outputs — including an annual Hunger Survey Report — and the HOPE Act federal legislative campaign constitute the organization's policy and knowledge-production function, used as inputs to advocacy at federal, state, and local levels.

Hunger Free America funds its operations through individual donations (with a stated 84% program-expense ratio), corporate and foundation grants (Walmart Foundation, PepsiCo, Goldman Sachs, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, United Way of NYC, Albertsons Companies Foundation), and government grants from the Federal Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps VISTA), USDA, NYC Council (via DYCD and HRA), and New York State Assembly and Senate (via OCFS). All services are free to end users; beneficiaries include food-insecure individuals and families, SNAP/WIC-eligible populations, and volunteers and corporate partners. In 2023/2024 the organization reported securing more than $30 million in SNAP and WIC benefits for its clients and connecting more than 2,000 volunteers to service projects.

Name

Hunger Free America

Legal name

Hunger Free America

Website

https://hungerfreeamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hunger Free America is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the USDA National Hunger Hotline, a Find Food database and app, and Benefits Access enrollment for SNAP and WIC, while running AmeriCorps VISTA placements, policy advocacy, and regional affiliates in New York City and Idaho.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief and Anti-Poverty Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Anti-hunger advocacy
• SNAP enrollment assistance
• Food resource hotline
• WIC benefits access
• Hunger relief services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Hunger Free America receives donations from individuals who want to support the anti-hunger cause. Recurring monthly gifts are encouraged for long-term sustainability. The organization states that 84% of donations go directly to program expenses.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: The organization receives funding from corporations, foundations, and private funders including major companies like Walmart, PepsiCo, Goldman Sachs, and foundations like Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, United Way of New York City, and many others listed on their supporters page.
3. Government Grants: Government funding from multiple sources including: Federal Corporation for National and Community Service (through Department of Health & Human Services and NY Commission), NYC Council (through DYCD and NYC HRA), NY State Assembly and Senate (through OCFS), and US Department of Agriculture grants.
4. Planned Giving and Bquests: The organization accepts planned gifts, bequests, stock donations, cryptocurrency donations, and matching gift contributions from employers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hunger Free America operates the USDA National Hunger Hotline and an online food resource database/mobile app to connect food-insecure individuals across all 50 states with emergency food providers, government food assistance programs, and social services. It directly assists low-income families to enroll in SNAP and WIC benefits, and conducts policy advocacy at local, state, and federal levels to address the root causes of hunger and poverty.

Product overview

Hunger Free America operates as both a direct service and advocacy organization focused on ending domestic hunger. The core product portfolio centers on the National Hunger Hotline (phone/text service), a Find Food online database and mobile app, and Benefits Access enrollment assistance for SNAP/WIC programs. These are supported by Child Nutrition Programs (Summer Meals, school breakfast advocacy), AmeriCorps VISTA national service placement, Strategic Volunteerism matching, the Food Action Board community organizing program, and the Social Services Job Training Program. The organization runs state affiliates in NYC and Idaho, conducts policy advocacy including the HOPE Act, and operates the annual MLK Serve-A-Thon. A newsletter system provides ongoing engagement. The programs collectively provide a comprehensive ecosystem addressing food insecurity through benefits enrollment, resource locating, volunteer engagement, job training, and policy advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• USDA National Hunger Hotline Toll-free service (1-866-3-HUNGRY / 1-877-8-HAMBRE for Spanish) operated Monday through Friday 8am-8pm ET that connects individuals and families across all 50 states and territories with emergency food providers, government assistance programs, and social services.
• Find Food Database Online searchable database of food pantries, soup kitchens, and food resources coast-to-coast, accessible via the website and mobile app, that helps hungry Americans locate nearby food assistance programs.
• Benefits Access Direct service program that helps low-income individuals enroll in SNAP and WIC benefits by screening clients, assisting with online applications, and advocating on their behalf throughout the application process.
• Child Nutrition Programs A suite of programs focused on ensuring children have access to healthy food through Summer Meals, Breakfast After the Bell, Universal School Meals advocacy, and Pandemic-EBT outreach and enrollment.
• AmeriCorps VISTA Program (Anti-Hunger Corps) National AmeriCorps VISTA program placing members at community-based nonprofits to identify sustainable solutions to ending hunger, help food-insecure households achieve self-sufficiency, and build organizational capacity for anti-hunger missions.
• Strategic Volunteerism Volunteerism department that connects individuals and groups with skills-based and high-impact volunteer opportunities through an online Volunteer Hub, matching professionals with anti-hunger organizations across the country.
• Food Action Board (FAB) Community of New Yorkers with lived experience of food insecurity who work together to advocate for policies that end hunger, develop leadership skills, and learn effective advocacy techniques.
• Social Services Job Training Program A 16-week paid job training program funded by the Albertsons Companies Foundation's Innovation Spark Grant that prepares unemployed or underemployed adults in Illinois and Maryland for social service careers such as case worker, family services assistant, and community health worker.
• Hunger Free NYC New York City affiliate of Hunger Free America providing SNAP and WIC outreach to New Yorkers across the five boroughs through an office at 938 Sheridan Ave, Bronx, operating Benefits Access and Food Action Board programs.
• Hunger Free Idaho Idaho affiliate of Hunger Free America serving low-income Idahoans through Benefits Access, Food Action Board, and Strategic Volunteerism programs, in partnership with mRelief for SNAP eligibility screening.
• MLK Serve-A-Thon Annual multi-day service event held each January honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy through volunteer events, panels, and workshops focused on anti-hunger and anti-poverty service.
• Advocacy & Policy National advocacy program that speaks to local, state, and federal elected officials, conducts original research on federal nutrition programs, and publishes reports to support policy solutions to poverty and hunger.
• HOPE Act Federal legislation championed by Hunger Free America that would modernize the delivery of social services by enabling simultaneous applications for multiple benefits through pilot programs using updated technology.
• Texting Service (National Hunger Hotline) Automated text messaging service at 914-342-7744 where users can text keywords such as SNAP, EBT, Summer, or Food to receive information about food resources, state hotlines, and summer meal sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured more than $30 million in SNAP and WIC benefits for clients in 2023/2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• mReliefcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHunger Free Idaho works in partnership with mRelief, a nonprofit that helps residents sign up for SNAP. The partnership enables Idahoans to use the mRelief SNAP screening tool to find out if they qualify for benefits and how much they could receive.
• Network of 50+ Partner OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHunger Free America works with a network of more than 50 partner organizations nationwide. These partnerships include sponsoring AmeriCorps VISTA national service participants who work at community-based nonprofits to identify sustainable solutions to ending hunger and build organizational capacity.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Feeding America: Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief nonprofit in the US, operating a nationwide network of 200+ food banks and running the National Hunger Hotline through its MealConnect and partner-locator services. It is the most direct comparator to HFA in mission (ending US hunger) and in operating a national food-resource finder, though it executes primarily through a food-bank distribution model rather than direct benefits enrollment.
• Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): FRAC is a national nonprofit focused on improving public policies to eradicate hunger and poverty in the US, conducting research and advocacy on SNAP, WIC, school meals, and child nutrition programs. It mirrors HFA's anti-hunger policy advocacy and original research function but does not directly deliver benefits enrollment services or operate the USDA hotline.
• Share Our Strength / No Kid Hungry: Share Our Strength runs the No Kid Hungry campaign, a national nonprofit focused on ending childhood hunger through federal nutrition programs, school meals advocacy, and direct grants to community organizations. It is a direct peer in mission and in combining policy advocacy with grant-making and program delivery, with comparable attention to SNAP and child nutrition programs.
• WhyHunger: WhyHunger is a national nonprofit that maintains a text-based food resource hotline and database (1-866-3-HUNGRY-equivalent) connecting people to food assistance. It is a direct peer in running a free national referral service for emergency food and federal nutrition programs, overlapping with HFA's hotline and food-locator offerings.
• MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger: MAZON is a national anti-hunger advocacy nonprofit that mobilizes Jewish communities to advance federal nutrition policy and partners with food banks. Comparable to HFA in its federal-advocacy orientation and donor base, though anchored in a faith-community frame rather than a service-delivery frame.
• Bread for the World: Bread for the World is a nonpartisan Christian advocacy organization that lobbies Congress on hunger and poverty legislation, including SNAP and WIC reauthorization. It is a direct peer to HFA's Advocacy & Policy program and HOPE Act-style federal legislation work, but it focuses exclusively on policy rather than running a hotline or service operations.

Regional players

• City Harvest: City Harvest is a NYC-based food rescue and hunger-relief nonprofit that distributes food across the five boroughs. It directly competes with Hunger Free NYC for mind share and donor dollars in the same New York City food-insecurity space, but uses a food-distribution model rather than benefits enrollment.
• Food Bank for New York City: Food Bank for NYC is the city's largest hunger-relief organization, distributing meals and groceries through a network of pantries and soup kitchens. It is a regional peer to Hunger Free NYC operating in the same geography and overlapping significantly with HFA's resource-locator database on the supply side.

Emerging players

• mRelief: mRelief is a tech-forward nonprofit that offers an online SNAP eligibility screening tool and benefits application support, and is a formal partner of HFA's Hunger Free Idaho affiliate. It is an emerging peer because it competes for the SNAP-enrollment use case with a leaner tech-only model that could, at scale, displace parts of HFA's benefits access service.

Broad incumbents

• Meals on Wheels America: Meals on Wheels America is a national nonprofit association supporting a network of 5,000+ community programs that deliver meals to seniors. It is a broad-incumbent peer: both organizations operate in the community food services space and work through local program affiliates, but MOW focuses on meal delivery to seniors whereas HFA focuses on federal benefits enrollment and broad hunger advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hungerfreeusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/HungerFreeUSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/usahungerhotline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hunger-free-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hunger Free America