How Annie's Is Working To Stop Food Insecurity For Kids

When it comes to Annie's Homegrown, though the organic food brand has a roster of snacks and cereals, it might be most recognized for its extensive lineup of mac and cheese. A look at the brand's website reveals that in addition to the classic stovetop boxes, Annie's also offers a variety of deluxe versions, frozen options, and microwavable flavors, including some that are gluten-free. Its products have also earned good marks for taste. In fact, a taste test conducted by Insider found that Annie's Shells and Real Aged Cheddar "reigned supreme because of its creamy texture and authentic cheddar flavor."

But Annie's work doesn't stop at making mac and cheese. The brand has a history of commitment to social responsibility. According to the company's website, Annie's has donated millions of dollars to various environmental and child-related causes, among others. In 2010, it worked with the National Farm to School Network in an effort to teach students about vegetables through the use of school gardens (via PR Newswire). In 2018, Annie's offered to match donations to the Whole Kids Foundation, per a Facebook post. And now, Annie's is partnering with a non-profit to tackle childhood food insecurity.

Child hunger is a concerning issue for the country, especially in the summer. According to the USDA, the free and reduced-price meals that some students rely on during the school day are no longer an option during the summer months, making hunger a higher risk. The USDA also points out that food insecurity is especially worrisome now with other existing adverse conditions in play like pandemic recovery and inflated food prices that have reached historic highs. Sadly, the number of meals kids could miss this summer is an estimated 95 million, according to a report from No Kid Hungry, which is why the organization uses methods like launching and improving existing programs that focus on providing children with healthy food.

Thanks to a partnership between Annie's and No Kid Hungry, your Instacart haul on the first day of August could have a bigger impact than usual when it comes to taking on food insecurity. According to an email received by Mashed, purchases of Annie's products on the grocery delivery service, Instacart, will result in $1 being donated that day from the organic food brand to No Kid Hungry. For the charitable collaboration, Annie's will be contributing up to $30,000 to help grow the total.