Strom Publishes Book on History of Hunger Relief

In Empty Plates: A History of Hunger Relief and Reflections on the Evolution of Feeding America Food Banks, history professor Claire Strom and Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Dave Krepcho cover a worldwide review of hunger relief over the centuries until the 1960s, then delve deeper into U.S. domestic hunger relief and the national food bank movement through to present day—a span of more than 40 years.

The book shares different voices from across the country, offering important history and valuable perspectives as the meal gap continues to grow. Feeding America—the nation’s largest hunger relief organization with 200 members and 60,000 food distribution sites across the country—is at the heart of the movement. During the past five years, approximately 50 percent of the organization’s food banks have primarily changed leadership due to the baby boomers retiring. Empty Plates shares their wisdom and celebrates their legacy, emphasizing that with 38 million people deemed food insecure or otherwise hungry, institutional memory is essential for learning, building on success, advancing the cause, and not repeating the same mistakes.

The book is slated for publication in late summer 2024 by Journey Institute Press.