As part of an effort to provide 50 million meals across the country, Google has partnered with the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB). The partnership also includes Feeding America, an NTFB press release shared. Google chose to address hunger in America after seeing this need reflected in trending searches.
The press release noted that searches for “food pantry near me open now” increased by 90%, searches for “food shortages” increased by 300%, and searches for “food bank distribution schedule near me” increased by 500%.
As part of the Google partnership, the NTFB will be awarded $250,000. These funds are meant to be put toward delivering food to North Texans currently in need, according to the press release.
Plano Mayor John Muns claimed hundreds of thousands of meals could be provided with Google funding.
“The North Texas Food Bank has been a key local driver in addressing food insecurity, helping the nearly 700,000 people facing hunger within its 13-country service territory. I’m grateful that Google.org is supporting the North Texas Food Bank’s incredible work with funds that will provide hundreds of thousands of meals and help the food bank improve its technological infrastructure to ensure it can continue to care for our community,” Muns shared in the press release.
The number of meals provided through the food bank has increased by 17% since March, according to NTFB. Meals are provided from the food bank through food distribution, as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, stated, “Addressing food insecurity requires a sustained and coordinated approach. We’re proud to partner with Feeding America to deliver over 50 million meals to people in need and to work with them to strengthen their technology infrastructure.”
As recently reported by The Dallas Express, North Texans have been encouraged to donate items to the food bank. The most beneficial items that can be donated, according to the press release, are trail mix bags, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned fruit, canned vegetables with low sodium, peanut butter, and plain shelf-stable milk.
The President and CEO of the NTFB, Trisha Cunningham, stated that the community is vital in helping the nonprofit organization achieve its goals.
“We simply could not do what we do in the fight against hunger without the support of the community and invite you to join in the fight against hunger,” Cunningham said.
“Volunteer your time at the North Texas Food Bank or with one of many feeding partners. Host a canned food drive or make a financial donation – for every $1 donated, we can provide three nourishing meals,” Cunningham continued. “Lend your voice to advocate and thank our elected officials for supporting food policies and programs that help families in need. Access to nutritious food should never have to be a choice and your involvement means more food on the table and more hope for our neighbors.”
The feeding network for NTFB spans over 400 food pantries and provides an average of 12.3 million meals every month.
