Alliance to End Hunger

10/22/2026

What a night in Des Moines! 🌾 Thank you to everyone who joined the Alliance to End Hunger for our salon dinner at Centro during , where we talked about how agriculture and food systems can stay strong in a "new normal" of global uncertainty.

Special thanks to Gérardine Mukeshimana, Vice President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), for sharing her insights, and to our panelists Dr. Francis Owusu of Iowa State University, Jennifer Billings of Vylor, and Iowa farmer Dennis Lundy (Growing Hope Globally farmer) for a thoughtful, honest conversation moderated by our President, Eric Mitchell.

From rising fertilizer and fuel costs to the ties between farmers here in Iowa and smallholders around the world, there was a lot to chew on, and plenty of great food to go with it! 🍽️

Thank you to our friends and partners for making it happen.

10/21/2026

School feeding programs can have a profound impact on local economies as well as community wellbeing. This morning the Alliance's Andrew McNamee joined panelists from World Vision USA, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Global Communities, and World Food Programme at to discuss how the right policies and investment in global school meals can power food systems and out next generation.

10/20/2026

Yesterday in Jackson, the Alliance joined the Southern Poverty Law Center on its Truth, Poverty & Democracy Tour, and the message was clear: ending hunger in Mississippi must be Mississippi-led. 🌾

Our President Eric Mitchell joined SPLC advocates at the State Capitol to meet with legislators about poverty and hunger in Mississippi. At a press conference with SPLC's CEO Ryan Haygood, MS State Director Waikinya Clanton and state legislators, Eric shared why organizations and leaders across the state need to work together to end hunger for good.

We also officially launched our new report, Toward a Hunger Free Mississippi: Findings and Recommendations from the May 2026 Conference — built on what we heard from Mississippians themselves.

Later, at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Eric and Ryan Haygood talked about why food justice is a fight for democracy. About 1 in 5 Mississippians don't consistently have enough to eat, and in those same communities, too many voices are missing at the ballot box. Ending hunger takes more than charity, it takes policy that treats access to food as a foundation for healthy people, healthy communities, and a functioning democracy.

10/19/2026

A hunger-free Mississippi is possible, and our new report shows how. 🌾

Today, the Alliance to End Hunger released "Toward a Hunger Free Mississippi," a community-led plan to end hunger and malnutrition across the state.

It draws on the Hunger Free Mississippi Conference in Jackson this May, where 121 people from 77 organizations came together, plus months of follow-up conversations with partners statewide.

The report calls for action on four fronts:
✅ Protecting SNAP, after more than 43,000 Mississippians lost benefits
✅ Helping farmers grow more fruits and vegetables. Today less than 1 percent of the state’s farmland does.
✅ Boosting family incomes through a state EITC, Child Tax Credit, and minimum wage
✅ Making nutrition part of health care through produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals, and Summer EBT

“The work already underway in Mississippi is extraordinary, and the dedication to further action is inspiring,” said Alliance president Eric Mitchell.

Thank you to our conference partners: the Mississippi Food Policy Council, Mississippi Food Bank Collaborative, the National Policy Research Center at Alcorn State University, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Read the Report JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI (October 19, 2026) — The Alliance to End Hunger released a report today outlining community-led recommendations to eliminate hunger in Mississippi. The report, Toward a Hunger Free Mississippi: Findings and Recommendations from the May 2026 Conference, draws on...

10/18/2026

🌾 When the world is unstable, farmers pay first.

Our president, Eric Mitchell, teamed up with Iowa farmer and Farm Journal Foundation Farmer Ambassador Sarah Tweeten in the Des Moines Register to explain how this year's global shocks reached farm country. Fertilizer prices spiked, and farmers had to choose between keeping costs down and keeping enough nutrients in the soil to grow a good crop.

Around the world, the same shocks can turn a bad harvest into a hunger crisis. Helping farmers ahead of time costs far less: every $1 spent on resilience saves up to $10 in emergency aid later.

As the World Food Prize marks its 40th anniversary in Des Moines under the theme "Before Hunger Wins," Eric and Sarah are urging Congress to protect funding for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), global agricultural development, and the Feed the Future Innovation Labs as it finishes the federal budget by Dec. 11. 🌍

Read the full op-ed at the link in the comments below.

10/16/2026

🌾 Happy . This year, we're asking you to think about hunger when you vote.

On average, one in seven people you meet is struggling to afford food, whether they're your neighbors, coworkers or people you see at school or your place of worship. With the midterms less than three weeks away, hunger needs to be on the ballot.

Before you vote, ask yourself: Will my vote bring us one step closer to ending hunger, or one step further away?

Read Eric Mitchell's new blog in the comments below. 👇

10/08/2026

What does a Georgia peanut farm have to do with saving kids' lives around the world? A lot! 🥜

This week, we took a group of congressional staffers on the road in Georgia to follow the journey of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), a peanut-based paste that helps children recover from severe malnutrition, often right at home.

We started at Leslie Jones's farm in Jacksonville, where staffers saw where it all begins. Then we headed to Mana Nutrition in Fitzgerald, where CEO Mark Moore showed how those peanuts are turned into RUTF and shipped to kids who need it most. UNICEF USA joined us to share how RUTF reaches children through programs worldwide.

It's a powerful reminder that American farmers and workers are part of the solution to child hunger. 💚

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible!

10/06/2026

You wouldn't start training for a marathon the day before the race. 🏃

That's how Yash Gharat of One Acre Fund describes preparing for El Niño, and it's why the time to act is now. For farmers in Malawi already facing high fertilizer costs and unpredictable rains, a healthy field is their best chance at getting through the season.

ICYMI: In this episode of Voices to End Hunger, Yash and Chase Sova of World Food Program USA explain what's at stake, with up to 50 million people at risk of more severe hunger by the end of 2027, and why early action saves both lives and money.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation: https://alliancetoendhunger.org/learn-more/voices-to-end-hunger/

10/02/2026

Starting this month, states are responsible for 75% of the cost of running SNAP, up from 50%. Meanwhile, more than 5 million people, including over 1 million children, have already lost their SNAP benefits.

Our Karen Ehrens sat down with Scripps News to talk about what these changes mean for families who are already stretched thin by higher prices for groceries, gas, and rent.
Her reminder: the people who rely on SNAP are our neighbors. 4 out of 5 SNAP households include a child, a senior, or a person with a disability, and many participants are working hard in low-wage jobs to put food on the table.

🎥 Watch the full interview.

10/01/2026

🚨 The SNAP Administrative Funding Crisis Explained 🚨

A major policy change is shifting billions of dollars in SNAP administrative costs from the federal government onto states and local counties.

Here is why this matters for local communities 👇

📉 The 75% Burden: The federal government is cutting its administrative reimbursement rate from 50% to 25%, forcing states and local agencies to cover 75% of program operating expenses.

💰 A $17 Billion Cost Shift: Over five years, an estimated $16.9B to $17B in administrative expenses is being pushed onto state budgets.

🏛️ Local Counties Hit Hardest: In states where counties administer SNAP, local governments must absorb these budget gaps, risking property tax increases or cuts to local public services.

⏱️ Processing Delays: Reduced administrative funding means staff cutbacks, hours-long phone wait times, and paperwork backlogs for applicants.

👶 Who Is Affected? Over 5 million people have lost SNAP access since early 2025
—including 1.5 million children
—with single mothers, veterans, and military families facing severe access hurdles.

Food assistance supports community health and local economies. We need policies that strengthen—not undermine—food security infrastructure.