Giving Hunger a Voice
Client Feature: Our Neighbor Vincent
“With the cost of groceries being so high, FIND helps me tremendously,” said FIND Food Bank client Vincent. “FIND provides me with the things that I need every day…it really helps the budget.”
With the ever-increasing prices of life’s necessities, like medication and gasoline, Vincent is relieved to have extra support.
Vincent said he also has FIND to thank for keeping his diet healthy and nutritious; therefore, decreasing his visits to the doctor.
“The selection of foods is very good – it generally covers everything that I need for a well-rounded meal program,” he said. “These fruits and veggies are keeping me healthy.”
He says he also has FIND to thank for jogging his memory.
“Once and a while I get cabbage, and I haven’t eaten cabbage since I was a kid!” he beams. “I’m now back to my younger days!”
With cabbage in the fridge and the connections he’s made at FIND’s distributions, Vincent can’t help but have a big smile on his face.
“I really thank FIND for what they’re doing,” he said. “The staff and volunteers are just fantastic. They’re always very happy and smiling and greet everyone. It’s a nice part of my monthly chores to visit [a food distribution].”
Take Action with Feeding America
Many rely on strong federal nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), child nutrition programs like the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and federal commodity foods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Help advocate for federal nutrition programs with FIND and our network of 200+ Feeding America Food Banks working to fight hunger collectively in our communities.
Learn About Local Hunger
Child & Summer Hunger
- 22 million children receive free or reduced-cost lunches during the school year, but only 3.76 million continue to access those free meals in the summer. That’s where FIND’s Kids Summer Feeding Program steps in.
- 4 out of 5 children may experience food insecurity in the desert region. We know that over 83% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals across the three regional school districts.
- FIND feeds more than 45,000 children per month across our mobile markets and community partners. Children 0-18 years old comprise 36% of the total population we help feed.
Rural Hunger
Rates of food insecurity among rural households are generally higher than in urban households. This is due to food deserts, which is an area that has limited access to fresh, nutritious food. While there might be a gas station or fast food nearby fresh produce can be hard to find. Data collected by Feeding America reveals that 84% of U.S. counties with the highest percentage of food-insecure children are rural.
In the Hi-Desert, FIND reaches area residents through our mobile market at Copper Mountain College, and a distribution branch in the Morongo Basin where surrounding food pantries and soup kitchens can pick up food for their clients. This saves them from making the hour-long trip down to the Coachella Valley to pick up food items.
Food Waste
- An estimated 40% of food grown, processed and transported in the US will never be consumed.
- When food is disposed in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane – a potent greenhouse gas with serious side effects, including climate change.
- FIND is the largest food rescue organization in the Desert. We rescued 9 million pounds of food in 2020!
- This prevented the release of approximately 747,000 pounds of the greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere from a landfill.
Senior Hunger
- FIND fed over 28,000 older adults on average each month in 2023.
- Older households are much less likely to receive help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) than other households, even though expected benefits are roughly the same.
Hunger + Health
- FIND Food Bank is a healthy food bank, our total distribution is always 40-50% fresh produce.
- Read about the benefits of consistent healthy meals on Feeding America’s blog, Hunger + Health
