HUNGER FIGHT
EIN: 46-1338834
Mission
Hunger Fight provides donors, advocates and volunteers the vehicle necessary to end hunger and illiteracy through the provision of nutritious meals to children, seniors, and families in need and age-appropriate books to preschoolers by engaging communities and mobilizing partners. With 21 collaborative partners in 15 counties of North Florida and South Georgia, Hunger Fight serves over 10,200 elementary children with nutritious meals every weekend and over 3,500 preschoolers with age-appropriate books every month.
Notes from the nonprofit
It should be noted that every community in the United States has food insecurity and illiteracy problems therefore, when we packages meals and books in and for your community those meals and books STAY in your community.
Ruling year
2014
Founder, Executive Director
Mrs. Sherri Porter
Main address
2935 Dawn Rd.
Jacksonville, FL 32207 USA
EIN
46-1338834
Early childhood education
Food aid
Population served
Children and youth
Ethnic and racial groups
Immigrants and migrants
Economically disadvantaged people
At-risk youth
NTEE code
Food Service, Free Food Distribution Programs (K30)
Remedial Reading, Reading Encouragement (B92)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Hunger Fight's emphasis is on childhood hunger and illiteracy through our Food for their Bellies; Books for Their Brains umbrella program. This program includes our "Feed the Backpack" program which provides weekend nutrition to children on the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Plan (Title 1) who, while fed during the week, may face an entire weekend, 65 hours, without food. It also includes our "Feed the Need to Read" program, an early literacy program which focuses on emergent literacy skills of children ages 0-5. While these are our primary programs, Hunger Fight also works collaboratively with local organizations to provide meals for seniors who live in poverty. We are also a FEMA partner and provide meals during times of disaster.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Feed The Backpack Initiative
Hunger Fight’s Feed the Backpacks and community hunger programs. Our Feed the Backpacks program provides weekend nutrition to children who are enrolled in the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Plan at school. Our four-serving, nutritionally balanced, great tasting, stand-alone meals provide the vitamins and nutrients necessary for a child to return to school ready to learn. Our community feeding programs provide meal packs to seniors and community programs that serve those at risk for hunger. Collaborative partnerships help to distribute the food where and when needed. The cost of the meal packs is only one dollar ($1.20), $.30 per serving. If you want to help feed hungry children, families and seniors in need, please DONATE NOW!
Feed the Need to Read
Hunger Fight is working to address the literacy challenges our children face. Literacy skills begin at birth and build on relationships and experiences that occur during infancy and early childhood. Emergent literacy has the biggest impact on the academic success of a child and is the root of reading success and forms the basis for learning in all subjects.
90% of a child’s critical brain development occurs by age 5. Children who receive high quality education by age five are 70% more likely to graduate from high school. Achievement gaps between children in poverty and those from more affluent families become apparent by 18 months. When children start behind, they rarely catch up. But when children are read to from an early age, they become better readers and students. Early reading experiences provide opportunities to build vocabulary and literacy rich environments that support development of pre-reading and cognitive skills that ensure children are prepared for success in school and in life.
The Feed the Need to Read literacy program focuses on emergent literacy skills by delivering free books to preschool children each quarter. The Feed the Need to Read program is serving children across Central and Northeast Florida.
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
This program is the umbrella program for both the feeding and literacy program for Hunger Fight. Our two-pronged approach is designed to help children living in poverty by providing weekend nutrition to help with focus, behavior and academic issues and books for children ages 0-5 to promote early literacy skills that begin at birth.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of attendees present at rallies/events
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Seniors, Ethnic and racial groups
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2022, we hosted over 65 packing events, including our annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach and private convention events. Attendance and participation at our events continue to grow each year.
Number of public events held to further mission
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We host packing events, large and small, across North Florida & South Georgia and special events across the country for children in need.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We had tens of thousands of volunteers come out and support us at our packing events in which we packaged and distributed over 3 million meals to local elementary schools in the counties we serve.
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We were overjoyed to acquire OVER 200 new donors throughout the year 2022. This was achieved through our community outreach, grants and collaborations with other organizations and our idream campaign.
Number of new grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through added focus on our grant-making efforts, Hunger Fight added 9 new grantors to our donor list in 2022.
Number of external speaking requests for members of the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Hunger Fight representatives are requested to speak at different businesses and schools concerning our Feed the Backpack and Feed the Need to Read Initiatives.
Number of websites and organizations (outside of our organization) that share our resources and information
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We provide our meals FREE of charge to 18 area backpack programs, food pantries, and programs thus reducing their expenses. These nonprofits become our logistical arm.
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children, Adolescents, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We enjoyed over 22124 volunteers who each gave 2.5 hours of their time at our packing events.
Number of volunteer management professionals trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children who have access to education
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Related Program
Feed the Need to Read
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We delivered 73,719 books to 0 - 5 year-olds in low-income areas.
Number of children receiving meals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants, At-risk youth
Related Program
Feed The Backpack Initiative
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We delivered over 2 million meals to title one students and over 1.8 million meals to food banks and other feeding organizations
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Hunger Fight is bringing awareness to and combating the issues of food insecurity, hunger and illiteracy in our local communities. We accomplish this by hosting packing events utilizing thousands of volunteers from the community to package nutritious meals which are then distributed to hungry children and families every weekend. Businesses, civic organizations and individuals to come together as one to make a significant difference in their local community.
The organizational goals fulfill our mission: to end hunger and illiteracy through the provision of nutritious meals and books to children, seniors and families in need by informing, engaging and mobilizing communities and partners. Hunger Fight has developed a two-pronged approach to help children and families in need: a literacy program for children ages birth to age 5 and a nutrition program for school-age children. Hunger Fight strongly believes that every child should be well fed and well read, and it is our hope that these programs will provide a foundation on which to build. Our goals to help seniors at risk for hunger is to continue to expand our footprint by working collaboratively with other organizations to provide meals for distribution to seniors living in low income areas who are at risk for hunger.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Included in our strategic plan is the continued growth and expansion of our Backpack programming through the partnerships with our community, corporations and volunteers who support our mission. In addition, we have partnered with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for a literacy program addressing emergent literacy skills in children ages 0-5. Through our on-going packing events, these programs are supported and expanded into new communities where the need is greatest. We continue to raise awareness to the issue of food insecurity, hunger and illiteracy through guest speaking, participation in community events, through our social media outlets and various public relations outlets.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Hunger Fight is different from other food organizations. We are more than a food bank or distribution source as we 1) produce and pack our own specially formulated, vitamin enrich meals for distribution; 2) through our partnership with Imagination Library, we provide books to address emergency literacy skills in children ages 0-5 through the provision of monthly books, 3) Hunger Fight is a Salvation Army Disaster Relief Partner and FEMA approved agency providing emergency meals in times of disaster; 4) our collaboration with other community programs sends meals to food pantries, food banks and missions feeding families, children, adults and seniors living in low income neighborhoods; 5) we offer scalable meal packing event programming to meet needs of sponsoring organizations; 6) collaborative approach with schools and key community programs for year-round food distribution.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
2020 was a year of growth and expansion for Hunger Fight as our Hunger Fight Feed the Backpack program added new schools and our Feed the Need to Read program expanded to 42 zip codes. To date we have packed 10,866,386 meals were packed at 74 events utilizing 7,850 volunteers and 125,000 meals were sent for Covid relief.
This growth was largely a result of the change in our overall business strategy and revised business model developed by our Board of Directors. After reviewing our first three years of business, we realized our initial outlook and scattershot approach to distribution wasn’t producing the outcome we had envisioned. We reassessed our overall approach with research and discussions with our Board, sponsors and constituents. Based on that exercise, we strategically decided to shift our focus to those who cannot change independently their circumstances, namely children and seniors.
Going forward, Hunger Fight will continue to expand its services to additional schools and zip codes where services are needed. This will be accomplished through new partnerships and collaborative efforts within our community and with corporations, businesses and volunteers who believe in our mission.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Our Feed the Backpack program serves over 10,200 elementary children on a weekly basis in 9 counties of Northeast Florida, 3 counties of the Big Bend area (Tallahassee) and 2 counties of South Georgia. Our Feed the Need to Read program serves over 3,500 preschoolers on a monthly basis providing age-appropriate books to get them prepared for school while building them a personal library.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Case management notes,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We have recently signed 21 MOU's, Memorandum of Understanding, to better stream line our logistics, reduce the expenses of our 21 partnering nonprofits and provide for more children and preschoolers.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
It has empowered them to know we care and that we are willing to listen and potentially implement their ideas and feedback.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback,
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
1.11
Months of cash in 2020 info
2.4
Fringe rate in 2020 info
9%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
HUNGER FIGHT
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
HUNGER FIGHT
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of HUNGER FIGHT’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $12,819 | $306,516 | -$164,112 | $110,822 | -$59,022 |
| As % of expenses | 3.1% | 54.1% | -22.7% | 13.8% | -4.7% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $12,819 | $306,516 | -$173,588 | $93,267 | -$67,075 |
| As % of expenses | 3.1% | 54.1% | -23.7% | 11.4% | -5.3% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $431,184 | $791,099 | $774,445 | $898,682 | $1,205,009 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 42.0% | 83.5% | -2.1% | 16.0% | 34.1% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 100.0% | 76.2% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $418,365 | $567,019 | $722,622 | $802,388 | $1,264,031 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 39.0% | 35.5% | 27.4% | 11.0% | 57.5% |
| Personnel | 29.7% | 38.5% | 43.4% | 37.3% | 37.1% |
| Professional fees | 7.6% | 6.1% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| Occupancy | 3.9% | 0.0% | 12.0% | 0.0% | 6.9% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 58.7% | 55.7% | 43.3% | 61.3% | 55.5% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $418,365 | $567,019 | $732,098 | $819,943 | $1,272,084 |
| One month of savings | $34,864 | $47,252 | $60,219 | $66,866 | $105,336 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $181,964 | $0 | $47,196 | $17,418 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $453,229 | $796,235 | $792,317 | $934,005 | $1,394,838 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Months of cash and investments | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 1.9 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 1.2 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $39,673 | $24,808 | $48,104 | $164,502 | $255,747 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $54,127 | $0 | $15,367 | $34,400 | $4,715 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $0 | $181,964 | $109,965 | $157,135 | $184,134 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 24.5% | 28.3% | 28.5% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 28.6% | 0.0% | 26.0% | 32.8% | 54.9% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $66,946 | $364,272 | $190,684 | $283,951 | $192,057 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $66,946 | $364,272 | $190,684 | $283,951 | $192,057 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Founder, Executive Director
Mrs. Sherri Porter
Prior to co-founding Hunger Fight, Mrs. Porter worked for over 25 years in marketing and public relations, owning several small businesses in those fields. She has also worked for, volunteered for and served as a member of the Board of Directors for numerous non-profit organizations over the past two decades, gaining valuable experience in the nonprofit sector.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
HUNGER FIGHT
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
HUNGER FIGHT
Board of directorsas of 03/14/2023
Board of directors data
Mrs. Christine League
Nathan Dowd
Southern Smoke BBQ
Gayle Curry
Curry CPA
Christine League
Hiday & Ricke Law Firm
Ben Glynn
Monumental Realty
Michael Brown
MLXL Productions
Dr. Sam Santelices
North Florida Pediatrics
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/02/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
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