Walmart donates $15M to Feeding America to address food insecurity
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Walmart is donating $15 million to Feeding America to help alleviate hunger at a time when food inflation remains a challenge for many Americans.
Why it matters: Nearly 48 million people in the U.S. are experiencing food insecurity, including 1 in 5 children, according to Feeding America's 2026 Elevating Voices report.
Driving the news: Walmart is making the $15 million grant — one of its largest donations over the last several years — to help Feeding America bolster the collection and delivery of food for distribution to people in need.
- Food banks and local agencies will get help to expand their capacity, including cold storage capability for perishable items.
- The donation will also help finance technology to help Feeding America make its network more efficient.
- With this funding on hand, Feeding America expects to help rescue 500 million pounds of food over the next 18 months.
What they're saying: "We really believe that, as a company who knows the importance of supply chain, investing in a strong supply chain for our charitable partners makes a ton of sense and has a big return over the years," Julie Gehrki, senior VP of philanthropy at Walmart, said in an interview.
Zoom in: In a survey of U.S. adults "who reported their household received charitable food assistance or experienced food insecurity within the past two years," 48% have delayed paying bills to afford groceries, according to the Elevating Voices report.
- "That gives you a sense of the crunch for families," Feeding America CEO Denis McDonough said in an interview. "We are seeing sustained demand across the system," he added, noting the challenge of costs and changes in federal assistance for people in need.
The bottom line: Walmart and Sam's Club donated 769 million pounds of food in the 2026 fiscal year in the U.S. — and they represented Feeding America's largest food donor.
- Food insecurity "can't be solved by one business alone," Gehrki said, but McDonough said this investment will "really strengthen this whole network" of 60,000 pantries under Feeding America's wing.
