Tony Robbins’ hunger-relief work began not with a fundraising campaign, but with a memory from his childhood. As the motivational speaker and author has recounted, his family was struggling financially when he was about 11 years old, and a stranger arrived at their home with groceries and a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving.
The experience stayed with him and later became part of the inspiration for his partnership with Feeding America, the US-based hunger-relief organisation.In 2014, Robbins and Feeding America launched the 100 Million Meals Challenge, an initiative aimed at helping families facing food insecurity. What began as a campaign to provide millions of meals subsequently expanded into a much larger commitment. In 2017, the partners announced a billion-meal goal, and in November 2023, Feeding America said the challenge had surpassed its target nearly two years ahead of schedule.
The organisation has since launched a new initiative to provide another billion meals by 2035.
From 100 million meals to a billion
The original challenge was announced on November 21, 2014. According to a Feeding America announcement, Robbins pledged the equivalent of 50 million meals and invited the public to help match his contribution, bringing the campaign’s target to 100 million meals. The contribution included profits from his recently published book, 'Money: Master the Game', along with an additional personal donation.
The food was to be distributed through Feeding America’s network of local food banks.
The organisation said the campaign built on Robbins’ longstanding support for hunger relief.The initial target was achieved within two years, according to Feeding America’s later account of the partnership. The campaign then grew beyond its original ambition as Robbins and the organisation sought to reach more families experiencing food insecurity.In 2017, the partnership announced an expanded goal of providing one billion meals by the end of 2025. The campaign relied not only on Robbins’ own contributions but also on donations from individuals who responded to his appeals. His approach included matching gifts and directing proceeds from his books towards hunger relief.The expansion reflected the scale of the problem the initiative was trying to address.
Feeding America works through a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries and meal programmes to connect people with food. Its model allows contributions to support distribution through local organisations rather than relying on a single central facility.
The billion-meal milestone arrived early
By September 2022, the partnership had reported that it had helped provide 914 million meals, putting it well on its way to the billion-meal target. At the time, Robbins and Feeding America said the campaign was ahead of schedule despite rising food and transportation costs placing additional pressure on families and hunger-relief organisations.The goal was formally reached in November 2023, nearly two years before the original 2025 deadline. In its announcement dated November 29, 2023, Feeding America credited Robbins and the thousands of donors who joined the effort. The organisation said the initiative had helped provide one billion meals to people facing hunger across the United States.The campaign’s growth also demonstrated how the original pledge had evolved.
Robbins had initially sought to help provide 100 million meals, but the partnership subsequently mobilised additional donations and matching contributions to reach a target ten times larger. Feeding America said Robbins increased his personal and business giving over the years, including a further $10 million contribution during the pandemic.The number represents meals the campaign helped provide, rather than a claim that Robbins personally prepared or distributed a billion individual servings.
The initiative depended on donations and the infrastructure of Feeding America’s partner network to turn financial contributions into food assistance.
A new billion-meal goal by 2035
Reaching the target did not end the partnership. In April 2025, Robbins and Feeding America announced the Next Billion Meals Challenge, a fresh 10-year initiative intended to help provide another billion meals to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity by 2035.
According to the announcement, the new effort builds on the earlier campaign and includes a lead matching gift from Robbins to encourage further contributions.
The campaign had already helped provide more than 50 million meals when the initiative was announced.Feeding America’s campaign page says every $1 donated helps provide at least 10 meals through its network of food banks. The organisation also describes the new initiative as part of a broader effort to address hunger in the US, while Robbins supports other food-recovery organisations, including FarmLink and Sharing Excess.The US-focused campaign is distinct from the wider 100 Billion Meals Challenge, a global initiative Robbins co-founded with David Beasley, the former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme. The two efforts have different scopes and should not be confused when assessing the reach of the Feeding America partnership.
The memory behind the mission
Robbins has repeatedly linked his philanthropy to the Thanksgiving visit that he remembers from childhood.
In his account, receiving groceries from a stranger showed him how an act of generosity could change a family’s immediate circumstances and leave a lasting impression. That experience has become a central part of how he explains his commitment to hunger relief. Feeding America’s 2015 annual report records his description of growing up in a food-insecure household and says he had partnered with the organisation to provide meals since 2012.
The report also highlights his support for the 100 Million Meals Challenge.The campaign’s trajectory, from a 100-million-meal target announced in 2014 to a billion-meal milestone in 2023—shows how the initial pledge developed into a long-running fundraising partnership. Its next phase sets another billion-meal target for 2035, extending an effort Robbins says was shaped by the help his own family received when he was young.