Omaha Steaks Supports Hunger Action Month
- by Stefanie McLeod
- Last updated Sep 6, 2023
Omaha Steaks has a long history of supporting our neighbors in need and the community in which we work. As a century-old purveyor of gourmet foods, fighting food insecurity has always been one of our primary giving pillars and a cause our family owners, the Simon Family, is especially passionate about. That’s why supporting Hunger Action Month through both food and monetary donations is so vital to us as a company and a member of this community.
What is Hunger Action Month?
Established by Feeding America® and occurring every September since 2008, Hunger Action Month addresses the food insecurity over 33.8 million people – including 9 million children – in the United States experience every day.1 Food insecurity can increase the risk for multiple chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, mental health disorders, and other chronic diseases.2 That’s why it’s more important than ever to take action against hunger today!
How is Omaha Steaks Contributing?
To support Hunger Action Month in the community and educate our team members about this epidemic internally, we’re:
- Matching Food Bank for the Heartland – a member of Feeding America® that works with 589 network partners, including pantries, schools, churches, emergency shelters, and other non-profit organizations to supply emergency and supplemental food – donations pound for pound during the Chalk Art Festival and their Stuff the Truck event.
- Hosting an internal company food drive.
- Promoting Hunger Action Month by wearing orange to bring awareness to the cause.
- Presenting an internal lunch and learn with Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue.
We invite you to join Omaha Steaks in combating food insecurity, either through monetary/food donations or by volunteering your time. Get involved with Feeding America® and/or Food Bank for the Heartland today! Together, we can make a difference and work toward ending food insecurity across our country.
What Other Causes Does Omaha Steaks Support?
In 2023 alone, Omaha Steaks has donated $477,000 worth of food and monetary donations to 14 food insecurity organizations and a network of partners, including pantries, schools, churches, and emergency shelters. Additionally, in the first half of 2023, we partnered with several organizations through product, gift card, and monetary donations:
- $145,000 to 29 organizations that support the arts
- $17,500 to 72 military and first responder organizations
- $76,000 to 41 Omaha-metro organizations
- $3,480 to 10 organizations via team member request
That’s $688,980 donated in 2023 so far – and we’re not done yet!
Omaha Steaks and Mercy Chefs
We began our partnership with Mercy Chefs, a national non-profit disaster relief organization, in 2020. Together, we provide restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers, and first responders in national emergencies and natural disasters. Previous efforts include:
- 2020 – Derecho Storm, Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Over 1,000 pounds of ground beef and over 1,500 packages of Omaha Steaks Beef Jerky.
- 2021 – We made a commitment to donate 6,250 pounds of premium-quality top sirloin steaks (totaling 20,000 portions) to disaster relief.
- 2021 – Hurricane Ida, Louisiana: 8,000 premium-quality top sirloin steaks and beef jerky to victims, volunteers, and first responders impacted.
- 2022 – Steaks provided to homeless shelters, shut-in elderly people’s neighborhoods, abused women’s shelters, underprivileged and impoverished children, and women’s shelters with eating disorders:
- 800 boxes to the Portsmouth Community Kitchen in Virginia.
- 800 boxes to the Paducah Beacon of Hope in Kentucky.
- 400 boxes to the Nashville Community Kitchen in Tennessee.
- 2022 – Hurricane Ian, Florida: 5,700 portions of protein, including steaks, pork chops, and burgers, as well as 2,000 portions of non-perishable protein to those affected.
- Our local trucking company partner, Cannonball Express, generously donated the freight cost for our donation, a value of over $2,000.
1ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics
2nimhd.nih.gov/resources/understanding-health-disparities/food-accessibility-insecurity-and-health-outcomes.html
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