KFC

March 20, 2020

KFC Donates $400,000 to Blessings in a Backpack to Prevent Child Hunger During School Closures Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Blessings in a Backpack, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides meals to children who might otherwise go hungry, accepted a critical donation to help fulfill its mission amidst the country’s coronavirus pandemic. KFC U.S. has donated $400,000 to Blessings in a Backpack, which will go directly to provide pre-packed “Blessings Bags” filled with food for school children to keep them from going hungry during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

With mandatory school closures impacting the U.S., this donation will help feed 100,000 children who depend on the federal free and reduced meal programs at their schools, bridging a critical gap during this global pandemic.

KFC has been partnering with Blessings in a Backpack since 2017. Employees at KFC’s Louisville, Ky. based headquarters volunteer weekly to provide and physically package up more than 300 meals for local students to take home for the weekend. This donation is made possible with support from the Yum! Foundation and will provide meals across the country to more than 100,000 children at thousands of schools and communities in the United States.

“We’re all living in a time of uncertainty, but children shouldn’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from,” said Kevin Hochman, president, KFC U.S. “We’re proud to partner with an organization like Blessings in a Backpack who, like KFC, is focused on feeding America.” In addition to its support of Blessings in a Backpack, select KFC restaurants across the country donate surplus food every week to nonprofit organizations in their communities through the KFC Harvest
program. Since it began in 1999, KFC’s Harvest program has donated more than 82 million pounds of food to those in need. This critical work continues during this time of increased food insecurity.