To Help Hungry People (And Pets!), Consider These 17 Charities

With the global hunger crisis rising, there are a lot of people who could really use your help.

Around 850 million people around the world go hungry every day, according to a 2017 study by the United Nations.

Hadynyah / Getty Images

Fortunately, there are ways that you can take action, and help solve the global hunger crisis. To make it easier for you, BuzzFeed Health did some research and came up with a list of high-impact organizations that all received three or more stars on Charity Navigator, a charity watchdog organization, or had a rating of gold or higher on GuideStar, a nonprofit ranking organization. All of them could use your support right now — whether it's through donations, fundraising, volunteering, or taking other action.

Obviously, this isn't going to be a full-scale list of groups because there are just so many organizations doing incredible things across the world right now. But hopefully this roundup helps you find an organization that speaks to you.

1. Action Against Hunger (Africa, Americas, Middle East, and Asia):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @actionagainsthunger

This organization gathers, analyzes, and shares data specifically relating to undernutrition in communities of need; installs programs to treat/prevent acute undernutrition in these communities; and trains local health care workers and partners to screen and treat undernutrition.

Go to the Action Against Hunger donation page to help, or check out its #Team45 page to start fundraising for the organization.

2. Feeding America (US):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @feedingamerica

This organization has 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries that work with manufacturers, distributors, retailers, food service companies, and farmers all over the US to gather food before it goes to waste, and provide hunger-relief to underprivileged communities.

Go to the Feeding America donation page to find out how you can make a one-time or monthly donation, or its volunteer page to figure out how you can provide your time and talents.

3. Rise Against Hunger (Worldwide):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @riseagainsthunger

Rise Against Hunger’s mission is to end world hunger by 2030. It plans to do this by utilizing volunteer efforts to package and produce nutritious meals, which can then be distributed to reliable partners in countries worldwide. The organization prioritizes responding to crises both natural and man-made, from countries affected by droughts and floods to those that are in conflict zones or experiencing political turmoil.

Go to the Rise Against Hunger donation page to help with funding, and check out its ”get involved” page to figure out how you can volunteer.

4. World Food Programme (worldwide):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @worldfoodprogramme_official

The World Food Programme focuses on providing emergency food assistance in conflict-afflicted countries to victims of war, civil conflict, drought, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, crop failures and other natural disasters. It distributes approximately 12.6 billion rations, annually, at an estimated average cost per ration of US$0.31 to areas where food is scarce, or where it’s available but unaffordable.

Go to the WFP donation page to find out how you can help.

5. Heifer International (Africa, Asia, and the Americas):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @heiferinternational

Heifer International’s goal is to make every family sustainably self-reliant by giving them the tools to produce food and a reliable income. That includes farm animals, basket materials, stoves, and farming education, so that they’ll be able to produce milk, eggs, honey, and much more. The organization believes that a sustainable income will brings new opportunities for funding small businesses, building schools, and creating agricultural cooperatives.

Go to the Heifer International gift catalog page to find out how you can donate monetarily, send an animal, or fund an empowerment project through the organization.

6. The Hunger Project (Africa, South Asia, and Latin America):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @globalhungerproject

The Hunger Project’s purpose is to use education programs on nutrition, water sanitation, etc. to empower women and men living in rural villages throughout Africa, South Asia, and Latin America on how to be self-reliant and make sustainable progress in overcoming hunger and poverty. The organization takes a holistic approach that includes a special focus on improving childhood and maternal malnutrition.

Go to The Hunger Project's donation page to learn more about how you can help, and check out its volunteer page to find out how you can get involved.

7. AARP Foundation (US):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @finally_em3ly

The AARP Foundation’s Drive to End Hunger campaign is dedicated to eliminating nationwide food insecurity among the elderly community by getting nutritious meals to hungry older adults, as well as providing them with one-on-one nutrition assistance programs, so that they won’t need to skip meals in order to afford other basic needs. (Food insecurity is defined as having one or more people in a household who go hungry over the course of a year because of the inability to afford enough food.)

Go to the AARP Foundation donation page to help with funding, and check out its volunteer page to find out how you can lend your service.

8. Mercy Corps (US, Africa, and Middle East):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @mercycorps

Mercy Corps’ mission is to build more secure and productive communities in places of conflict, disaster, political upheaval, or economic collapse (such as Syria and South Sudan). The organization provides emergency relief in times of crisis, then helps communities recover and build resilience to cope with future disasters by providing agriculture education, food security, and medical services.

Go to the Mercy Corps donation page to contribute monetarily, or take action through its “ways to help” page.

9. Meals on Wheels America (US):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @mealsonwheelsamerica

Meals on Wheels is an organization committed to supporting seniors by providing them with a nutritious meal, as well as visits and safety checks, to help them cope with hunger, isolation, and loss of independence — helping the elderly get the support they need for potentially greater quality of life.

Go to the Meals on Wheels America donation page to help with funding, or check out its ”take action” page to learn how you can volunteer.

10. UNICEF USA (worldwide):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @unicefusa

UNICEF USA's famine response and prevention initiative focuses on pregnant women in countries that have declared famine, such as South Sudan, as well as countries that are on the brink, such as Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen. For these women, the organization provides support during 1,000 or so days between the start of pregnancy and the child's second birthday — this comes in the form breastfeeding support, and providing nutrient-rich foods foods to infants and micronutrient supplements to the mothers.

Go to UNICEF USA’s Nutrition Program, Emergency Relief Program, or Trick-or-Treat Program pages to find out more about how you can donate to each initiative. BTW, all proceeds from the Trick-or-Treat Program will go directly to children who’ve been affected by natural disasters in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

11. Freedom from Hunger (women in Africa, Latin America, and Asia):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @grameen_foundation

Freedom from Hunger — now a part of the Grameen Foundation — is an organization that, through collaboration with local partners, aims to equip women with the tools they need to feed and educate their children, improve their family’s health, and create positive change in their communities.

Go to the Freedom from Hunger donation page to find out how you can donate.

12. No Kid Hungry (US):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @nokidhungry

No Kid Hungry is a nationwide campaign, run by Share Our Strength that’s focused on ending the child hunger crisis in all 50 states by getting kids access to healthy school breakfast and summer meals. The campaign also uses its Cooking Matters program to educate low-income families on how to shop strategically, make healthier food choices, and cook affordable meals.

Go to No Kid Hungry to find out how you can donate or fundraise for the organization.

13. Save the Children (Worldwide):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @savethechildren

Save the Children provides education programs that include nutritious snacks and health monitoring at school, as well as emergency programs that fight famine and acute malnutrition during times of crisis and disaster and help parents support their children and feed their families.

Go to the Save the Children donation page to help monetarily, or see how you can volunteer your time through its ”get involved” page.

14. Lunchbox Fund (South Africa):

Instagram: @thelunchboxfund / Via instagram.com

The Lunchbox Fund is a non-profit organization that has created lunch programs in early childhood development centers, which offer pre-school care and education, after-school homework assistance projects, and skills development programs for orphaned and at-risk school children in township and rural areas of South Africa.

Go to the Lunchbox Fund donation page to help.

15. Feeding Pets of the Homeless (US and Canada):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @pets_of_the_homeless

Pets of the Homeless is a national animal organization focused solely on feeding and providing emergency veterinary care to pets of homeless people across the US and Canada. The organization sponsors wellness clinics, ships sleeping crates to homeless shelters, and provides homeless people with the necessary tools to care for their pets so that they don’t have to use up their already limited resources.

Go to Pets of the Homeless donation page to help monetarily, or find out where you can drop off pet food at its donation sites page.

16. Trinity Place Shelter (New York City):

Trinity Place Shelter / Via trinityplaceshelter.org

Trinity Place Shelter is a 10-bed transitional shelter that provides homeless LGBT youth with basic support, shelter, and skills necessary to make the transition to independent living. This includes a safe place to sleep, shower, and eat; individual, group, and career counseling; and mental health services, independent living supportive services, and access to transportation.

Go to the Trinity Place Shelter donation page to help with funding, and check out its volunteer page to figure out how you can lend your services.

17. Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (US):

instagram.com / Via Instagram: @rescuingleftovercuisine

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is a national non-profit organization dedicated to solving hunger in disadvantaged communities and preventing overall excess food waste. The organization identifies homeless shelters in need, and then finds restaurants, hotels, and catering companies with excess food that can help feed these disadvantaged communities.

Go to the Rescuing Leftover Cuisine donation page to make a monetary or food donation, or its volunteer page to find out how you can lend your service.