Now in England and coming soon to the U.S., Action Hunger’s boxes give fruit, sandwiches, energy bars, clean socks, toothbrushes, […]
Now in England and coming soon to the U.S., Action Hunger’s boxes give fruit, sandwiches, energy bars, clean socks, toothbrushes, and other necessities to any person given a card by a local shelter.
Shopping centers in the U.K. are beginning to provide vending machines that offer free daily goods for the homeless. These vending machines do not accept cash, but locals who are struggling to survive and have recently stayed at a local shelter can pickup an Action Hunger card and use it free of charge at any vending machine.
“There is a critical need for access to food and clothing outside the capacity that shelters can offer,” Huzaifah Khaled the founder of Action Hunger said. Action Hunger is a nonprofit organization that recognizes the needs of the homeless that exist outside of charity and shelter working hours. Many homeless shelters are often overbooked and only have staff during certain hours of the day.
“It requires the homeless to schedule their days around visits to the shelter, making it hard to hold a stable job or see family regularly,” Khaled said. “Our vending machines offer 24/7 access, so they can be used at a person’s convenience–and completely free of charge.”
Action Hunger has partnerships with many homeless nonprofits and charities who help in handing out the vending machine cards. With a card, a person can get three items each day, and to continue using it they must check-in each week at a partner organization. The idea is similar to the Free Pantry projects which have begun across the U.S., and while being only a temporary solution, they provide great relief and support to the most vulnerable members of our society.
Khaled began writing to numerous vending machine manufacturers and N&W Global decided to donate Action Hunger’s first machine. After this, a businessman donated another 100 machines, and volunteers help to restock the machines by using food rescued and donated from local restaurants. UberEats is also stepping up in partnership, and will soon be able to allow requests to be made through an app to refill the machines, while UberEats makes the deliveries.
Action Hunger is expanding to the U.S. in February with its first vending machine going up in New York, and they have plans to expand to San Francisco, Seattle and also Los Angeles.
Since the news spread, he has been approached from people all over the world wanting to install a machine in their city, he said. “I’ve had emails from people in Greece, Spain, Australia and China, all wanting to know more.”