Combating hunger: discover 8 organizations that donate food in Brazil

Hunger in Brazil has decreased significantly in the last year, dropping from 33 million to less than 9 million people between the beginning of 2022 and the end of 2023. According to experts, this is due to the restructuring of public policies that have been severely criticized over the past decade.

Increases in the minimum wage, reductions in unemployment, control of food inflation, and expansion of the Bolsa Família* program, for example, have helped to mitigate the food crisis. However, Brazil has not yet been removed from the Hunger Map, and it is estimated that the main reason for this is the lack of money to purchase basic goods.

With this in mind, the Lupa do Bem team has compiled a list of eight organizations that donate food in Brazil. Check it out!

* Bolsa Família is a social welfare program in Brazil aimed to provide financial assistance to low-income families that meet certain socioeconomic criteria, offering them monthly stipends to help cover basic expenses such as food, education, and healthcare. It is considered a crucial tool in Brazil’s efforts to reduce poverty and inequality.

1. Ação da Cidadania

Founded by the sociologist Herbert de Souza, known as Betinho, Ação da Cidadania was created in 1993 and has since become the most recognized social movement in Brazil. The organization operates on various fronts in the fight against hunger and participates in major solidarity campaigns during extreme events, such as those affecting the Yanomami people and the floods that have recently devastated the country, most recently in Rio Grande do Sul. With ongoing initiatives, it also collects and distributes food donations across all 26 states and the Federal District.

Location: nationwide

Website: https://www.acaodacidadania.org.br/

 2. Cozinha solidária MTST

The Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto (‘Homeless Workers’ Movement’, in English) has set up dozens of solidarity kitchens across the country to prepare and distribute free meals to the most vulnerable populations during the pandemic. The health crisis has passed, but hunger persists. Therefore, the kitchens remain active, feeding hundreds of people in the outskirts of cities where the movement is present.

Location: nationwide 

Website: https://www.cozinhasolidaria.com/

3. Banco de Alimentos

Operating since 1998 in São Paulo, this NGO facilitates connections between citizens, businesses, and food industries dedicated to reducing food waste and combating hunger. Partners donate surplus food to the NGO, which passes everything on to social entities registered in the project. By collecting food that has lost its shelf value in commerce and industry but is still suitable for consumption, the NGO enables children, youth, adults, and the elderly to supplement their meals daily in the city.

Location: São Paulo 

Website: https://bancodealimentos.org.br/

4. Instituto SOS Periferia

The institute operates to promote food security and nutrition in peripheral communities in Grande Fortaleza, capital of Ceará. In addition to providing direct food assistance, it also offers professional training and human rights promotion activities for all age groups.

Location: Fortaleza 

Website: https://www.institutososperiferia.com/

5. Orgânico solidário 

The NGO, founded in 2020, collects baskets of organic fruits and vegetables assembled by a network of producers and traders, distributing them among partner social organizations and projects. This initiative generates income for producers and, most importantly, food security for those in need. The platform operates as a philanthropic fund managed by Sitawi Finanças do Bem and implemented through a network of private sector and third-sector partners.

Locations: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Paraná and Bahia 

Website: https://organicosolidario.org/

6. Samba sem Fome

For the past 24 years, the Santo Caneco Bar, in Rio de Janeiro, has hosted the project Samba sem Fome (‘Samba Without Hunger’, in English), a monthly samba circle that collects one kilogram of food as an entrance fee. At the end of each event, the collected donations are passed on to a philanthropic institution that supports underprivileged individuals.

Location: Rio de Janeiro 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sambasemfome/

7. Good Truck

Through various projects in partnership with distributors and supermarkets, the NGO rescues food that would otherwise be wasted and distributes meals and food baskets to homeless individuals and vulnerable communities.

Locations: Paraná, São Paulo and Minas Gerais 

Website: https://goodtruck.org.br/

8. G10 Favelas

Operating nationwide, G10 Favelas conducts extensive food and cash donations that are used to combat hunger and its associated consequences across all five regions of Brazil.

Location: nationwide 

Website: https://g10favelas.com.br/#