Public charity organization

Public charity organization

Feeding America

Feeding America is a US-based charitable organization that is a countrywide association of above 200 food stores. It endeavors in feeding more than 47 million individuals through food pantries, shelters, and several community-based groups. According to McReynolds (2016), Feeding America is among the top ten largest charitable organizations in terms of revenue within the US. For more than 30 years, Feeding America has acted to hunger predicament in the US by offering food to persons in need via a countrywide system of food stores. John Van Hengel founded the Feeding America organization in 1979 with its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.

John Van Hengel, a retired industrialist, developed the food banking idea in the late 1960s. He had been volunteering at the Soup kitchen, making attempts to serve hungry individuals. One day, John came across a hopeless mother who often walked around grocery garbage bins to collect food for her family. The mother gave John a suggestion on the necessity of creating a place where the discarded food can be stored instead of throwing it away to allow individuals to pick. Consequently, with that suggestion, an organization was born. Firstly, John founded St.Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix. He could actively mobilize unwanted foods from the grocery stores, nearby produce farms, and local kitchens. St.Mary’s served as the country’s first food bank. In its first year, John and his friends supplied more 270,000 pounds of foodstuffs to hungry people (McReynolds, 2016). Later, food banks began to rise in the US during the 1970s since their prosperity could spread out quickly. As the number kept on increasing, John Hengel established a public organization for food banks, and in 1979, John founded the National Food Bank Network. Afterward, the network modified its identity to Feeding America to better reveal the vision and mission of the charity.   

These days, Feeding America is the country’s most prominent native hunger-relief charitable organization in the US.IT is a powerful and effective system of 200 food stockpiles across America. As the food insecurity crisis continues to escalate in the country, Feeding America system of food stocks has come out strongly to feed hungry people. The organization feeds more than 40 million individuals at the danger of hunger across America, where the more significant population comprises of children followed by seniors. Considering McReynolds (2016), the charity navigator gives a four-star rating for overall finance, transparency, and accountability to Feeding America Organization. Therefore, this helps in advancing the trust of the public and the government. Eventually, they will add up their efforts in contributing funds to the organization.

Similarities between these organizations

Firstly, according to Anna (2018), both Feeding America and the Children Investment fund foundation are categorized as tax-exempt,501 (c)(3) organization by the IRS. Therefore, this implies that both of the charitable organizations do not pay tax to the federal government as other for-profit organizations. They do not pay federal income taxes since their goals are not profit-oriented. Also, they are of great benefit to the community in a manner the private sector might not, hence classified as tax-exempt. Despite the tax-free, the private foundations are subjected to some income tax filings every year. Secondly, both of these organizations assist in serving community needs. Feeding America endeavors in providing food to hungry people across the borders of America to save them from the wrath of hunger, mostly during hunger crisis seasons. On the same note, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation engages itself in transforming the lives of children through its initiatives of ending sexual exploitation and child labor, among others. Further, while establishing both of these foundations, it requires a substantial upfront commitment of cash. The money serves the role of setting the foundation and paying for legal charges.

 Contribution to the public foundation, Feeding America

If I had an unlimited amount of cash, I could prefer contributing to the Feeding America foundation over the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. One of the reasons that would prompt my choice is that Feeding America organization is entitled to public accountability. Therefore, once I make my donation, it is easy to know its utilization since the financial reports and records are available to the public every year. Also, Feeding America has a diversified board of directors (McReynolds2016). Therefore, with this diverse group of administrators, I believe the management of donated funds will be careful. Consequently, this will go a long way towards helping the organization in archiving its mission of providing food to hungry people in America during the food shortage period. Further, I would prefer contribution to the public foundation, Feeding America over the Children’s Investment Fund due to the higher levels of transparency available in such a foundation.

References

Anna, Z., & Anastasia, K. (2018). Analysis of mechanisms of state assistance provided to the public, non-profit organizations. Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy Research Paper Series, (176P), 1-84

McReynolds, A. (2016). Feeding  America. Retrieved from: https://www.feedingamerica.org/