HATCH, the Carmel, Ind.-based nonprofit that bills itself as the nation's largest organization focused on protein insecurity, launched a national crowdfunding campaign on World Hunger Day in partnership with the CDC Foundation. The campaign, dubbed "The Missing Piece," is designed to raise both funds and visibility around what HATCH characterizes as a systemic gap in the U.S. food-relief supply chain: consistent, scalable access to protein.
The crowdfunding effort is one component of a broader strategic initiative aimed at building the cold-chain and procurement infrastructure food banks need to reliably source and distribute protein. HATCH has not disclosed a specific fundraising target, but the campaign is structured to mobilize individual donors nationwide alongside institutional partners. The CDC Foundation's involvement signals a public-health framing for what is often treated as a purely logistical food-bank challenge.
Protein procurement represents one of the most persistent unit-economics problems for food-relief operators. Shelf-stable carbohydrates and produce move through the food-bank channel with comparatively predictable supply and donor pipelines, while animal and plant-based proteins — higher in cost per pound and more demanding in cold-storage terms — remain chronically underfunded. For foodservice operators and food manufacturers who participate in product-donation programs, the campaign underscores the supply complexity that nonprofit distributors navigate below the retail and restaurant tiers.
The initiative draws on the advocacy reach of partners including motivational figure Tony Robbins, whose involvement suggests HATCH is pursuing a consumer-facing awareness strategy alongside the institutional fundraising push. Broadening the donor base beyond traditional food-bank funders is consistent with the nonprofit sector's wider move toward direct-to-consumer crowdfunding as a complement to corporate giving and government grants.
For commercial foodservice operators and protein suppliers tracking the food-insecurity landscape, the campaign reflects growing pressure on the entire value chain — from processor to distributor to end consumer — to address nutritional equity gaps. Industry observers have noted that as food costs have remained elevated across the supply chain, the trickle-down effect on food-bank procurement budgets has widened the protein shortfall at the community level. HATCH's infrastructure-first framing, rather than a one-time donation ask, positions the campaign as a call for durable, supply-chain-level solutions rather than episodic relief.
The partnership with the CDC Foundation adds a public-health credential that could help unlock corporate sponsorship and cause-marketing alignment from food manufacturers and restaurant chains seeking ESG-linked community investment vehicles.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
