Back in 2009, Rent-A-Center started Soup to Nuts, a humble in-store effort to collect cans of soup and jars of peanut butter for Americans struggling to balance the costs of housing, health care, clothing, transportation, and more. The inaugural program became a national store-based fundraising campaign aimed at helping food banks, and in the years since its inception, Rent-A-Center patrons have made a huge difference. Last year, stores raised $50,000 that was distributed to food banks across 39 regions. And in the last three years, Rent-A-Center has donated more than $180 million toward fighting hunger—but there’s plenty of room to do more.
The most recent data available from Feeding America shows that 14 percent (17.4 million) of American households were food insecure during the year 2014, and that 6 percent (6.9 million) of households faced very low food security. Of the 48.1 Americans living in food-insecure households, 15.3 million are children. To put it simply, millions of entire families are worried about where their next meals will come from, and they don’t have the necessary food supplies to live an active, healthy lifestyle.
Each September during Hunger Action Month, Rent-A-Center donates a lump sum to be shared between several regional food banks to provide hunger relief. In addition, Rent-A-Center stores across the country kick off their own Soup to Nuts efforts. When you visit a Rent-A-Center store during the month of September, you can support Soup to Nuts and help fight hunger by donating $1 or more. The names of those who donate will be displayed on a grocery bag tag in stores throughout the month, serving as a reminder that just $1 can make a huge difference.