San Francisco, California—October 21, 2008—As the economic crisis deepens, household budgets are stretched and food prices skyrocket, more and more families struggle to put food on the table. Recent estimates state that nearly 35 million Americans, including 12.6 million children, are food insecure (with low or very low food security). The statistics are stark: Someone dies of hunger every 3.6 seconds. Nearly 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. Three-fourths of these deaths are children under the age of 5.

Food banks and food-rescue charities are increasingly challenged to provide more at the same time their own resources are shrinking. One national charity, Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest), which serves nearly 25 million people annually, has experienced an 8 percent increase in emergency food assistance in the last 5 years, even before the most recent economic downturn.

JustGive makes it easy to support the many charities working to reduce and eliminate hunger. Through a single website, JustGive.org connects donors with nearly 90 charities supplying food for the hungry in their local communities and around the world. Providing them with an opportunity to make a difference for a hungry family this Thanksgiving season—with as little as a $10 donation.

"We want to encourage everyone who can to give as a tangible way to say thanks this holiday," said JustGive Founder Kendall Webb. "And we've developed special features on our site so donors can conveniently find and give to charities that help men, woman, children and seniors who need food."

At JustGive.org, donors can identify the charity of their choice by:

• Searching the list of U.S. and global organizations fighting hunger and poverty in the JustGive Guide
• Conducting an Advanced Search to find an organization by name, city, state or zip code.

JustGive knows that even a small gift helps and accepts minimum $10 donations. Here are a few examples of the difference charity can make when it comes to hunger:

• Every dollar donated to Feeding America provides 20 pounds of food.
• For $15, the World Food Program can feed 60 school children one hot meal.
• For $24/month, the Children's Hunger Fund can supply food for 5 people.
• With $35, Share Our Strength can feed a child 3 meals a day for more than a month. With $100, they can provide 25 bags of food for families relying on food banks.
• For $75, Action Against Hunger can supply a family of four with grains and other food staples for two weeks.

JustGive's technology makes online giving fast, safe and secure. Through JustGive.org, donors can select from a wide array of giving options, and give when, how and as often as they want to nearly 1.5 million charities working throughout the world. Making it easy to provide the basics for a needy family this Thanksgiving season.

San Francisco-based JustGive, started in 2000 by Harvard graduate Kendall Webb, was among the first nonprofit organizations to understand how the power of the Web could be harnessed for charitable purposes. JustGive.org is guided by its mission to increase giving by connecting people with the charities and causes they care most about. The destination for online charitable giving^™, JustGive.org has been recognized by Forbes as one of the Best of the Web.

Back to press releases