The Black Panther Party recognized that hunger negatively impacts a child’s education and basic functionality. The Free Breakfast for Schoolchildren Program offered free, hot and nutritionally balanced breakfast for any child who attended the program. The program started off feeding a few hundred kids but grew to help over 20,000 kids by the end of its first year. By 1969, hundreds of free breakfast programs had opened throughout the country.
Another Black Panther Party food initiative was the Free Food Program, which focused on all community members, not just children. According to Food Insecurity in Black Communities by Feeding America, Black Americans are three times more likely to face hunger than white Americans. Each week, the organization would deliver a week’s worth of nutritious, fresh foods to those requesting assistance. Food donations from various stores helped fuel both of the Panther food programs. In 1969, the U.S. National Lunch Program acknowledged that the Panthers were feeding more low-income children than they were.
You can still find local food aid in your community. These programs can be found at food banks such as the Freestore Foodbank. Local churches often have food pantries that deliver food to their neighbors. Consider donating to these organizations or volunteering to cook and distribute food.
