Share Our Strength
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| Share Our Strength | |
|---|---|
| Name | Share Our Strength |
| Formation | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Purpose | End childhood hunger, promote nutrition |
| Leader title | CEO |
| Leader name | Claire Babineaux-Fontenot |
Share Our Strength is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization founded in 1984 that works to end childhood hunger and promote nutrition through public-private partnerships, policy advocacy, and direct-service programs. The organization operates nationally and collaborates with a broad network of civic groups, philanthropic foundations, school systems, and healthcare institutions to expand access to meals for children and families. It is known for large fundraising events, research-driven program design, and alliances with major corporations, media outlets, and government agencies.
History
The organization was founded in 1984 by television producers and philanthropists associated with events in the entertainment industry, linking fundraisers similar to those organized by Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Newman to charitable causes. Early supporters included figures from the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, while public endorsements invoked leaders such as Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Michelle Obama. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the nonprofit engaged with policy actors like Connie Chung, Tom Vilsack, Arne Duncan, and institutions including United States Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Nutrition Service to expand meal programs. Major events in organizational history intersected with philanthropic trends represented by entities such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kellogg Company, PepsiCo, Walmart Foundation, and cultural partners like Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, and Anthony Bourdain.
Programs and Initiatives
Programmatic work has included national initiatives modeled on school-meal expansions promoted in policy discussions involving Child Nutrition Act debates, collaborations with city systems like New York City Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, and county agencies in Cook County, Illinois. Signature activities resemble competitive culinary festivals with funding models paralleling events by Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and benefit dinners associated with Clinton Global Initiative gatherings. Nutrition education and culinary workforce development initiatives cite research traditions from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Emergency food-response programs coordinate with disaster-response actors like Federal Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, and Feeding America networks. Youth leadership and summer-meal pilots have been undertaken alongside municipal programs in Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, and Detroit.
Impact and Evaluation
Evaluations have drawn on methodologies used by researchers at RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, Pew Research Center, and academics from University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and Yale University. Impact reporting references indicators similar to those used in studies by Food Research & Action Center, Child Trends, and Annie E. Casey Foundation. Outcomes often reported include increases in take-up of National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and summer-feeding metrics tracked by USDA Food and Nutrition Service analyses. Independent audits and outcomes reviews have been commissioned with involvement from KPMG, Deloitte, and peers in the nonprofit sector such as United Way and Salvation Army affiliates.
Funding and Partnerships
Funding sources have included philanthropic grants from entities like Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, corporate sponsorships from Kraft Heinz, Unilever, and Target Corporation, and event revenues comparable to fundraisers staged by Robin Hood Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Partnerships for program delivery have linked with school districts, state agencies, and healthcare systems such as Kaiser Permanente, Mount Sinai Health System, and Mayo Clinic. Collaborative research and advocacy alliances have included Children's Defense Fund, National School Boards Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics.
Governance and Leadership
Board governance and executive leadership have followed nonprofit norms with oversight from boards resembling those of Smithsonian Institution, American Red Cross, and World Wildlife Fund US. Executive directors and CEOs have worked with corporate executives from Procter & Gamble, Microsoft Corporation, and financial sector leaders from Goldman Sachs for strategic fundraising. Advisory councils have featured former elected officials and diplomats such as Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Nancy Pelosi, and John Lewis in public-facing philanthropic roles. Legal and compliance guidance has been informed by law firms and consulting groups that have advised institutions like United Nations Children's Fund and World Bank projects.
Criticism and Controversies
Critiques have mirrored debates faced by large nonprofits, referencing issues raised in media coverage similar to that around Red Cross disaster relief operations, governance debates seen in Susan G. Komen for the Cure controversies, and labor disputes comparable to those in the nonprofit sector publicized in outlets covering ACLU and Amnesty International. Questions have been raised regarding administrative overhead, measurement of long-term outcomes compared to short-term meal provision, and relationships with corporate food manufacturers akin to scrutiny faced by American Heart Association and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics when industry ties are discussed. Responses to controversies have involved external reviews, stakeholder convenings with policy groups like Children's Defense Fund and Food Research & Action Center, and adjustments to transparency practices paralleling reforms at institutions such as United Way Worldwide.