Feeding America Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating From Charity Navigator

Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, today announced that for the third consecutive year it has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. The ratings service pointed to Feeding America’s sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency as the main reasons for the highest honor.

“Feeding America’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” said Ken Berger, President and CEO, Charity Navigator. “Out of the thousands of nonprofits Charity Navigator evaluates, only one out of four earns 4 stars -- a rating that, now, with our new Accountability and Transparency metrics, demands even greater rigor, responsibility and commitment to openness.

“Feeding America’s supporters should feel much more confident that their hard-earned dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly when it acquires such a high rating.”

Feeding America continues to work towards its mission to feed the 49 million Americans struggling with hunger through a network of member food banks that serve every county in the United States. The non-profit leads the domestic hunger category in advocacy and is implementing innovative tactics to advance network members’ nutritional development and food recovery capabilities.    

“Being recognized by such a reputable independent evaluator and earning a four star rating for the third consecutive year is a real testament to the continuous effort by the Feeding America staff to be financially, efficiently and ethically accountable,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “Our fight to solve hunger in America is at the core of everything our organization does.”

Since 2002, using data-driven analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added a second dimension of Accountability and Transparency (A&T) to its rating methodology, and now reviews 17 governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, providing information on its web site for each of the charities it evaluates.  

The A&T metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities have “best practices” that minimize the chance of unethical activities and whether they freely share basic information about their organization with their donors and other stakeholders.

Feeding America’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available at www.charitynavigator.org.   

Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 37 million people through 61,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate.  Together we can solve hunger. Visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

.

Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of roughly 5,500 mid-to-large sized charities that garner roughly 50% of all private contributions made in the USA each year (not including houses of worship). Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America’s charitable givers. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 201, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.