I’m honored to recognize another inspirational nonprofit organization we work with. I had the privilege of speaking to Paula Mills, Director of Operations for Kids Against Hunger, and learned about her organization’s mission and all the amazing ways they are changing the world.
Take 90 seconds to watch their video to see what their mission accomplishes, and read Paula’s responses below to learn about their future goals and what things they would have done differently if they knew then what they know now.
How do you utilize technology in your nonprofit?
Kids Against Hunger/Freedom Foods utilizes all the technologies available to run a successful nonprofit, i.e. telephone and computer systems, warehouse management, Aplos accounting, website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Our business processes are established to adhere to general accounting standards. We are using Aplos online accounting to meet those standards while simplifying entry and retrieval. Our donations are closely tracked and receipt letters are sent through Aplos. We use our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to solicit and communicate with donors and the general public.
What do you look for in leadership when bringing in others on your team?
Freedom Foods looks for individuals with a passion and need to further our mission to feed the world’s hungry. We require experience within their field of expertise. An additional consideration is the strong network of contacts within the community/world that an individual can bring to our team.
What compelled you to start your nonprofit?
Every five seconds a child dies (nearly 16,000 every day) because of hunger and related causes. 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world. According to the USDA, 15.3 million children under age 18 in the United States live in households where they are unable to consistently access enough nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. These statistics do not touch on the lives of these children, just the necessities. Every team member at Kids Against Hunger/Freedom Foods wants to make the difference to even “Feed Just One.” We package highly nutritious, life-saving meals for these children and their families around the world and in the United States. These protein and nutrient-rich formulas reverse the starvation and food insecurity process and improve physical health as well as a child’s mental capacity to learn.
What is your ultimate goal/vision for your nonprofit?
Since its launch, Kids Against Hunger/Freedom Foods has provided over one billion meals for children and their families in more than 60 countries through the efforts of hundreds of thousands of volunteers. It is Kids Against Hunger’s goal to develop this food packaging network, over the next ten years, with a two-tiered approach of local packaging satellites and regional divisions. The organization seeks to set up 50 divisions and 500 packaging satellites across the USA. Through this structure, Kids Against Hunger expects to generate the capacity to produce over one billion meals per year.
If you knew then what you know now, would you do things differently?
Kids Against Hunger would still package our meals in the same way, utilizing thousands of volunteers from all walks of life, but we would put additional controls and processes in place before the start of a new operation. We would work closely with contacts throughout the world to develop systems to get our food to the families fighting hunger and starvation easier and faster.
If you’d like to get involved, visit https://www.kidsagainsthunger.org/ to learn about volunteer opportunities for this wonderful organization!
