Do you provide aid for local families?
Although hunger is an issue in the United States, starvation isn’t. At Love the Hungry, our primary focus is to provide nutrient-rich meals to malnourished and starving children worldwide through our partnerships with international NGO’s. However, recognizing that many children and families throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana also struggle with hunger, we’ve connected with dozens of organizations to help distribute 10% of the packaged meals to local families. If your group organizes a funded packaging event and requests that meals remain in the local region, we will honor that request.
Is my donation to Love the Hungry tax deductible?
Yes. Love the Hungry is recognized by the IRS as exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is approved for tax deductible donations. Donations will be acknowledged with a personal note at the time of receipt and a year-end contribution statement for gifts of $25 or more.
Are children welcome at packaging events?
Yes. One of the strengths of Love the Hungry is providing a family-friendly opportunity for volunteers of all ages. With adult supervision, volunteers as young as six years old can perform many of the tasks needed to help package meals. And by engaging youth volunteers, we can empower a new generation to take ownership in helping to end hunger. Youth groups are also encouraged to create fundraising projects that can help sponsor a packaging team.
Why 35 cents per meal vs. the previous 25 cents?
Love the Hungry has designed a very simple, linear formula to support our mission. At 35 cents per meal, your donation helps cover the cost of ingredients and packaging supplies as well as delivery and shipping, sanitation, insurance and other program expenses. National purchasing agreements for ingredients, regional shipping arrangements, and utilizing volunteer teams to assemble the meals are just a few examples of how costs are kept to a minimum. However, after ten years of holding the cost at a quarter per meal, it was necessary to adjust the cost to 35 cents due to significant increases in the price of raw materials and other essential operating expenses.
What is a “mobile” packing event?
Love the Hungry is equipped to conduct packaging events at your church, school, community organization or business location. Because of the added costs of mobile events, we prefer to package a minimum of 20,000 meals (75 or more volunteers). Your facility must meet certain space and delivery requirements and have 8′ tables available to set up the packaging lines. Our team will meet with you to help plan the details and create a great experience for your volunteers. Mobile events are a great way to bring the Love the Hungry experience to your location.
Is Love the Hungry a faith-based organization?
Our co-founders Dale and Tonja Oelker established Love the Hungry in response to their Christian values and a desire to help others share compassion with a hurting world through very tangible acts of service. Love the Hungry also believes that if we truly wish to end hunger, the humanitarian imperative must be a priority and we should welcome those that share a common desire to end hunger.
Many of our NGO partnerships are through faith-based organizations. It is important that these organizations have a well-established, sustainable program in the region they serve and that aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients.
I would like to make a donation. What are my options?
You are always welcome to mail a check or money order payable to: Love the Hungry,
and mail it to: 3103 Fern Valley Road – Suite 107, Louisville, KY 40213.
Love the Hungry makes it easy to make a secure one-time donation, recurring monthly gift, or create a personal fundraising campaign via our online donation site. To make a gift or to learn more about our easy-to-use fundraising tools, visit donate.lovethehungry.org
