WHAT HAPPENED: On the eve of World Hunger Day, Tuesday, a broad coalition of farmers, protein producers, hunger advocates, and government partners officially launched the Coalition to Close the Protein Gap — a $40 million public-private initiative aimed at permanently eliminating America’s annual 800-million-pound charitable protein shortfall. NCC is among the supporting organizations backing the effort, which is led by HATCH, the nation’s largest nonprofit focused on protein insecurity, and includes federal partners HHS and USDA. The goal: deliver up to 3 billion protein-rich meals to American families every year.
WHY IT MATTERS: Protein is the single most requested item in the charitable food system — yet it accounts for only 14 percent of food distributed through that system. The biggest obstacle isn’t supply; it’s the cold-chain infrastructure needed to move protein from farm to food bank reliably and at scale. This initiative pairs America’s existing agricultural capacity with the funding and logistics network to finally bridge that gap on a permanent, self-sustaining basis.
WHO’S INVOLVED: The coalition brings together a cross-section of the protein industry, including Cargill, Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, Koch Foods, Case Farms, Mountaire Farms, and Simmons Foods, among others. Supporting organizations include NCC alongside the American Egg Board, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, National Turkey Federation, and others. Tony Robbins, through his 100 Billion Meals Challenge, is serving as a public advocate for the effort.
HOW IT WORKS: Infrastructure and logistics will be managed by HATCH, which has spent a decade sourcing protein directly from U.S. farmers and delivering it through a cold-chain network to 120 food banks nationwide — without relying on ongoing donations. The $40 million in coalition funding will expand cold storage capacity and distribution infrastructure to operate at the scale needed to close the gap entirely.
