Child hunger is a worldwide problem that needs to be addressed now!
In the United States alone, 1 in 5 kids do not have a sufficient supply of nutritious food. Malnourished children come from struggling families in which parents also face hunger. More than half of the households around the world have to purchase the cheapest food possible just to have enough to eat. Hunger statistics are shocking, and the COVID-19 crisis has just made things much worse for many families.
The good news is there is something you can do!
Feeding a needy person can start with a small donation of just $5, which will enable Food for Life Global to feed 20 needy people. However, if you are in a better financial position, you can even donate $5000 to our charity (online or by check), which will enable our volunteers to feed 20,000 needy children.
It’s incredibly honorable to make such a large donation of $5000 or more, so let’s find out what the different ways you can financially support Food for Life Global are and where your donation actually goes.
What Happens When a Child Faces Hunger?
Before we dive further, we need to detail exactly what happens when you help to feed a hungry child. Firstly, kids that don’t eat enough, especially during their development years, face serious health conditions. They can develop anemia, diabetes, or even heart disease.
If you give donations to children in need, you can prevent all of this from happening! When kids go to school well-fed, they’ll be able to concentrate on studying and later go on to improve their living conditions. It’s a chain reaction in which one tiny thing can have a huge impact. You have the chance to ensure that impact will be positive.
How Far the Donations Will Go (How Many Children It Can Help)
Donations for children are used to fund various projects that fight hunger and poverty. We use the money to support our affiliates, giving them the necessary resources for making and distributing natural and plant-based food. We also use child donations for educational, training, and mentorship programs, so we can help needy children in the long-term as well.
We keep our administrative and fundraising expenses to a minimum; for example, the president of FFL only pays himself $25 a day! This allows as much money as possible to go toward our cause. Our food programs are a top priority, and we carefully calculate how much money we should allocate toward these programs.
For example, a donation of $350 can educate and feed a child for a year. The sponsorship program that we organize with our partner Food for Life Vrindavan provides plant-based meals, education, clothing, and medical care to hungry children in India. Our partner Sandipani Muni School (SMS) cares for 1500 of the poorest girls in India. They need your help to keep providing education and nutrition so these girls can become healthy and successful adults. We also have a partner in Sri Lanka, and you can sponsor an orphaned child there.
If a donation of less than $1.50 per day can do this, just imagine how much you can help if you donate $5000! All you need is a kind heart and willingness to help!
Tax Deductions
Giving to charities not only benefits the cause you believe in (such as feeding kids and ending hunger), but it also helps you save on tax expenses. Making a charitable donation is one of the best tax-saving opportunities out there, so you should always get the tax receipt from the charity and claim your tax deduction.
If you want to make financial donations, it’s better to use credit cards instead of cash. That way you can keep track of your donations for tax deductions and protect yourself from charity scams. And whether you donate $5000 or $100, you should file for a deduction on your federal taxes. Make sure you donate to a 501(c)3 charity organization (like FFL) and sort out the necessary documentation in advance to save yourself from trouble.
In order to claim a charitable deduction in the USA, you need to keep a record of the contribution. As mentioned, you have to get a tax receipt from the charity. Then, when it’s time to do your taxes, you should file an IRS form 1040 and Schedule A for itemized deductions. If you’re making a non-cash donation, you may also acquire additional documents.
How much tax you can deduct depends on the type of your donation and, of course, the amount you donated. In a lot of cases, the maximum amount you can deduct on Schedule A is 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). However, in 2020 you may deduct qualified contributions of up to 100% of AGI. To qualify, the contribution must be monetary and made to a qualifying organization. Non-cash property contributions are subjected to normal limits.
Options Available at Food for Life
We at Food for Life have created a lot of giving opportunities because we know people want to help in different ways. From one-time donations to sponsorship programs, there are lots of options to choose from. You can see all the giving opportunities on our donation page, but let’s explain each option to make the process as easy as possible.
Charity Shop
If you purchase a product from our charity shop, 50 children will get a nutritious vegan meal. Of course, the more you buy, the more meals we’ll be able to serve. You can also buy products from an affiliated shop on Amazon and help the kids that way. The best part? You’ll be able to educate yourself, too, while reading books on veganism and nutrition, vegan spirituality, and food yoga. Check out this Amazon shop to find all sorts of interesting things.
Sponsorship Program
Child donations can go toward sponsorship programs. Our cooperation with Motivate and Inspire Educational Academy (MIEdu) helps educate and feed the starving children from the poorest parts of India.
This MIEdu project was founded by student entrepreneur Anirudh Bikmal, who knows how difficult it is to be an underprivileged child in India. The project’s aim is for high school kids to tutor middle-school students and empower them to succeed. The Academy uses its profits to help Food for Life Vrindavan, a FFL-affiliate school that educates and feeds over 1500 kids. You can sponsor one of those kids for an entire year with your donation if you donate $5000 or more.
We also help another one of our affiliates, the Gokulam-Bhaktivedanta Orphanage in Sri Lanka, by providing aid for taking care of and educating destitute children. The orphanage provides a complete education tailored to each child’s needs, and the staff there also look after the children’s health and nutrition. Doctors come to the orphanage regularly to give check-ups, and the orphanage provides the kids with three healthy meals daily and regular recreation activities (including yoga, team sports, and dance classes).
Life Member
If you donate $1000 or more, you’ll become a Life Member of FFLG. Life members are key components for succeeding in feeding kids across the world. We cherish each gift we get from generous people, so as a thank-you for helping our mission, you will get a Life Member certificate, a Food Yoga book (digital), a gift basket, and a travel tote bag.
Monthly Member
Donations are always welcome, whether they’re one-time only or monthly donations. You can subscribe to give $10 donations each month, or you can be a yearly supporter for $120. You don’t have to renew your membership each month because we have automated this process.
Donate Cryptocurrency
We always try to cater to our donors’ needs, and a lot of people like to donate cryptocurrency because it’s the most tax-efficient option for claiming charitable deductions. The IRS classifies cryptos as property, so you don’t owe capital gains tax on the appreciated amount, and you can deduct it on your taxes. When you donate cryptos to a registered charity like Food for Life Global, you’ll reduce your tax burden by a lot!
The Giving Block in particular is a safe, well-respected platform for cryptocurrency donation. We also accept currencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Zcash, Gemini Dollar, Basic Attention Token, and Chainlink.
Donate Flight Miles
If you’re eager to help and have a lot of unused miles, you can donate flight miles to Food for Life Global with ease! Usually, donating the miles requires you to log in to your airline mileage website and choose a charity to receive your donation. Although it’s a quick way to make a gift of your miles, not all charities are included in the airlines’ lists. If you could spend a bit of extra time, you could instead redeem your miles for tickets issued in the name of Food for Life volunteers.
We would just have to communicate on who will be traveling, when, and where, so you would have enough information to mail us the tickets. It might require a bit more time, but it would be more rewarding for you to know exactly how you helped in the fight against hunger and poverty.
Final Thoughts
Whether you choose to donate $5000, buy a product from the charity shop, or give in some other way, you should know that your help is highly appreciated. We value each donation because only together can we make a difference. If you need any kind of help with your donation, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re fighting every day for this world’s children, animals, and environment, and we’re looking forward to you joining us in making the world a better place.
Food For Life Global’s primary mission is to bring about peace and prosperity in the world through the liberal distribution of pure plant-based meals prepared with loving intention. |
