By Townhall Chicago News Staff
A national anti-hunger nonprofit overstated the share of Virginia children facing food insecurity and directed only a fraction of its revenue to hunger relief programs, according to an investigation by Victoria Manning, senior investigative researcher at Restoration News.
Manning said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., had claimed that 51% of Virginia children were food insecure. Her review of the nonprofit Share Our Strength’s own data found the actual figure to be roughly 9%.
“Senator Mark Warner claiming that half of Virginia children were food insecure. I knew that number could not be right,” Manning said.
Manning said Share Our Strength took in $87 million in revenue in 2024 but directed only $14 million of that to organizations providing direct hunger relief. The group spent $1 million on lobbying that year, she said.
“Share Our Strength took in $87 million in 2024, but only $14 million of that actually went to organizations that provided hunger relief,” Manning said.
Manning said the group’s tax filings listed 23 executives earning more than $200,000 annually and $31 million in expenses categorized as “other,” which she said was not directed toward feeding children. “Their headquarters is in prime real estate in D.C.,” she said.
Manning, the author of Behind the Wall of Government Schools and a contributor to The Federalist, said her reporting relied on the organization’s IRS filings and data previously posted on its own website.
The findings were discussed alongside remarks from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who in a statement aired during the broadcast defended federal food assistance funding and criticized proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Pritzker said roughly 120,000 Illinois residents who rely on the program could be affected by funding reductions.
“The poorest people in the state need to be able to eat while they’re trying to figure out how they can make ends meet,” Pritzker said.
Manning’s findings relate specifically to Share Our Strength’s Virginia operations. Her reporting did not address the finances or practices of any Illinois-based hunger relief organizations.
Manning said the current head of Virginia’s Department of Social Services previously worked for Share Our Strength, a connection she said raises additional questions about oversight of the group’s hunger-relief claims.
Manning said she has also reported on school board election transparency and federal enforcement actions for The Federalist, applying a similar approach of comparing public claims against primary-source documents such as tax filings and government data.
