As September’s Hunger Action Month gets underway, Chick-fil-A says it has surpassed the equivalent of 200 million meals donated since 2020, a tally the company credits to local Owner-Operators, Restaurant Team Members and more than 1,500 community partners. The effort blends surplus-food donations, opening-day gifts to food banks and new funding aimed at meeting rising needs in neighborhoods the brand serves.
How Shared Table turns surplus into community meals
Since 2020, the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program has created 42 million meals by redirecting surplus items from more than 2,500 restaurants to hunger relief nonprofits, where biscuits, nuggets and prepared entrées become dishes like chicken parmesan, stir-fry and breakfast casserole.
“In cities across the U.S. and Canada, nearly every locally owned and operated Chick-fil-A restaurant has stepped up to serve their communities through Chick-fil-A Shared Table, donating millions of meals collectively,” said Brent Fielder, Vice President of Global Impact at Chick-fil-A, Inc. “As food insecurity continues to rise, Chick-fil-A Shared Table is a powerful reminder that when we come together with purpose, generosity multiplies, and lives are impacted.”
Opening-day donations and new funding
Each time a new restaurant opens, Chick-fil-A donates $25,000 to a local food bank in partnership with Feeding America in the U.S. or Second Harvest in Canada, totaling more than $19 million since 2020. The company is also investing an additional $4 million to support hunger relief across the U.S., including donations to Feeding America, sponsorship of a Convoy of Hope food packaging line and grants for local nonprofits.
The need by the numbers
Feeding America estimates 47 million people in America face food insecurity, including 14 million children; the University of Toronto reports 8.7 million Canadians live in food‑insecure households; globally, more than 295 million people are experiencing food insecurity, an increase of almost 14 million compared to 2023. “Everyone deserves access to fresh, nourishing food, yet hunger exists in plain sight. It affects tens of millions of community members who simply want the same thing we all want for ourselves: a chance to thrive,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Feeding America CEO. “I’m grateful Chick-fil-A shares our vision to end community hunger, together.”
Food waste diversion and how meals are calculated
Alongside meal donations, Chick-fil-A and its restaurants report diverting more than 61.6 million pounds of food waste from landfills since 2020. The company says its meal equivalents follow Feeding America’s metric that $1 helps provide at least 10 meals, while Shared Table conversions use the USDA guideline that 1.2 pounds of food equals one meal.
Why it matters for franchise communities
For franchise Owner-Operators, the framework creates a repeatable, local playbook that pairs back-of-house practices with community partnerships, keeping edible food in circulation and directing dollars to food banks at moments of growth like new openings. With demand rising, the expanded commitments position restaurants and nonprofits to collaborate more closely during a month when hunger takes center stage.
