Every month in 2024, we are highlighting the work of Give Lively member nonprofits in one category of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. 

The United Nations website states that “the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)... are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”

We find inspiration and insight from these selected nonprofits and hope you do too. Is your nonprofit engaged in similar work? Use the feedback tool at the bottom of this article to tell us about it. 

SDG Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

The Nonprofits

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Food Rescue US

This nonprofit helps organize local volunteers to pick up excess healthy food from local food donors and deliver it directly to local social service agencies that feed the food insecure. Food Rescue US’s Community Kitchens help support restaurants and their staff while producing and handing out meals on site, with the help of volunteers, to food insecure individuals in their community. The Restaurant Meal Program provides meals to those in need and supports local restaurants that may be at risk of closing due to COVID-19. Food Rescue US also purchases individual meals directly from restaurants and has food rescuers deliver those meals directly to local social service agencies. Additionally, through its Farm Distribution Program, Food Rescue US has developed stronger relationships with farmers and recovered food from them on a national scale. Through these efforts, including participating in the USDA Farmers to Families program, Food Rescue US has distributed over 13 million pounds of produce.

The nonprofit uses a Give Lively-powered fundraising page to capture donations through its website.

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Food for Thought Outreach Inc

This organization provides children struggling with food insecurity weekly access to healthy, easy-to-prepare meals. Food for Thought Outreach Inc (Food For Thought) aims to bridge the meal gap in the lives of food insecure children and empower them to get the most out of their education. Students who miss multiple meals do not learn or develop at the same rate of their peers so Food For Thought provides year-round services to take students from K-12 without the fear, stress and illness related to childhood hunger. The nonprofit currently provides weekly access to food for 3,000 food insecure school-age children across 32 school locations in Walton and Okaloosa Counties, Florida.

The nonprofit used a Give Lively-powered Campaign Page to fundraise over $30,000 for Giving Tuesday 2022.

Development in Gardening

The mission of this organization is to improve the nutrition and livelihoods of some of the world’s most uniquely marginalized people by teaching them to plant regenerative gardens that grow health, wealth and a sense of belonging. Development in Gardening’s adaptive program prioritizes uniquely vulnerable groups who are often left out of other development opportunities, such as people living with HIV, elderly households, people living with disabilities, chronically malnourished children, young mothers, mothers with underweight children under age 5 and others. 

Development in Gardening used a Give Lively-powered Campaign Page in conjunction with Peer-to-Peer Fundraising and Team Fundraising to raise over $150,000 for the 2023 “From The Ground Up” campaign. 

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Community Cooks

For more than three decades, this nonprofit has invested in building trusting partnerships that connect caring volunteers, the human services sector, businesses, civic groups, schools and faith-based institutions to form a dynamic, growing community with a common goal: to feed our neighbors in need and increase their ability to thrive. Community Cooks identifies human service agencies in need of food support for their clients, recruits and connects volunteers to meet those needs, and coordinates 85 cooking teams, each providing a monthly meal to an assigned local partner agency.

Community Cooks uses a Give Lively Branded Widget to capture donations on its website and a Campaign Page for its 2023/2024 appeal. 

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SPOON

This nonprofit is a global leader in training on feeding and nutrition for vulnerable children. SPOON serves two groups of vulnerable children who sometimes overlap: children with disabilities and those living outside of family care. Because these children are typically not served by existing nutrition and health systems, SPOON makes sure they’re covered and given a chance to thrive. SPOON provides training on the topics of nutrition, feeding and disability to professionals who work with children or caregivers.

SPOON has used a Give Lively-powered Campaign Page for the last three years of its annual fundraising event – see their “2023 Big Night” Campaign Page. 

Global Seed Savers

This nonprofit organizes, educates and mobilizes smallholder and family farmers by creating seed sovereignty and fostering sustainable communities and regenerative ecosystems in Denver, Colorado, and the Philippines. Global Seed Savers envisions a world where resilient and healthy communities access naturally-grown farm-produced seeds and food. In addition to its Seed School program (a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the history, science, business and craft of saving seeds), Global Seed Savers collaborates with other organizations to build seed libraries.

Global Seed Savers used a Give Lively-powered Event Ticketing page for its “13th Annual Global Seed Savers Nourish Celebration,” where the in-person program in Denver included an local AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) artist show and competition.

The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

More nonprofits

For more in our UN SDG series, see the previous article and the next one.