The Abbott Fund was established by Abbott, a global health care company, in 1951, as a philanthropic foundation based in Illinois with the vision to create healthier communities worldwide, investing in ideas that promote science and medical innovation, expand access to health care and strengthen communities around the globe. In partnership with others, the Abbott Fund strives to make a lasting impact on people’s lives and encourage others to take positive action.
Since 2006, the Abbott Fund has granted nearly $2M to select Feeding America members to support their Backpack programs and disaster relief efforts. In 2017, the Abbott Fund has graciously made another generous commitment to end child hunger in America through a $200,000 gift to support Backpack Programs at food banks located in communities where they have a significant presence.
Thanks to generous grant from the Abbott Fund, St. Mary’s is able to supply backpacks filled with food every week to hungry children in our community. The Backpack Program is designed to improve the health and well-being of low-income children and their families. We provide our partner agencies with backpacks filled with nutritious perishable and non-perishable food items that they take home on weekends and other times when school is not in session.
The children who receive backpacks come from extremely poor families and are at risk of missing meals on the weekends and over school breaks. Companies like Abbott Fund are meeting the challenge of helping to end hunger.