Nonprofit Hunger Relief Organizations

As the holidays are approaching, remember that there are some individuals who are unable to have a nice hot meal or afford food. Thankfully, there are many charitable organizations set up exclusively to help these individuals. Usually there are two main types of 501c3 charitable hunger relief organizations: food pantries and meal centers.

Food pantries (or food banks) usually involve receiving donations of nonperishable canned food items and redistributing these items back out. These charitable organizations are focusing more on giving the grocery items to individuals who are unable to afford these items, but have a means of cooking them. Sometimes these nonprofit food pantries will also buy or take donations of groceries for specific families in need in the community.

Meal centers (also known as soup kitchens or food kitchens) are normally more focused on making meals for individuals in need who do not have the means to cook meals for themselves. These charitable organizations will buy or receive donations of produce and then cook the food in order to distribute out hot meals to individuals in need. Usually these are staffed by volunteers and are located in buildings around lower-income neighborhoods.

The best way to set up a nonprofit hunger relief organization to help individuals is by getting the 501c3 status with the IRS. This will help significantly in your supplies because whenever people donate to your organization, they are able to use the donation as a tax deduction on their personal taxes. This will encourage more people to donate to your charitable food bank organization and in turn help you provide services to more individuals.