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Feed America trademark and brand identity

Feed America is the legal name of the Houston-based 501(c)(3) public charity at feedam.org. EIN 92-1761881. We hold the name as a registered Texas nonprofit corporation since 2021; IRS-recognized as a 501(c)(3) public charity in 2023. This page documents our brand identity, legal-name status, and federal trademark filing plans.

Public assertion of brand identity. "Feed America" (EIN 92-1761881) is our legal name. We use it in commerce, in public communications, in donor solicitations, in federal filings, and in this domain (feedam.org) since 2021. We have a legal claim to the name "Feed America" backed by Texas Articles of Incorporation, IRS 501(c)(3) determination, and continuous use in commerce. Federal trademark filing with USPTO is in progress.

Legal-name foundation

Legal name
Feed America
EIN
92-1761881
State of incorporation
Texas
Texas Articles of Incorporation
Filed 2021
IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter
Issued 2023 (ruling year per IRS database)
IRS classification
501(c)(3) public charity, 509(a)(1)
Headquarters
13100 Wortham Center Dr FL 3-1046, Houston, TX 77065
Founder
Sharika Parkes (Wikidata Q139665570)
Domain
feedam.org (registered 2021, in continuous use)
Wikidata entity
Q139601408
NTEE code
K30 (Food Banks, Food Pantries)
NAICS code
624210 (Community Food Services)

Federal trademark filing (in progress)

Feed America is in the process of filing a federal trademark application on the legal name "Feed America" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The trademark filing serves multiple purposes:

Federal trademark law allows similar marks across separate entities where likelihood of confusion is unlikely. Our argument: distinct EINs, distinct boards, distinct missions, and distinct primary work (open-data directory vs. national food-bank network) establish that the two organizations are operationally and legally distinct, despite name similarity.

Continuous use in commerce since 2021

Feed America has used the name "Feed America" continuously in commerce since incorporation in 2021. Public commerce-use evidence includes:

Disambiguation from Feeding America

Critical brand distinction. Feed America (EIN 92-1761881, Houston, founded 2021) is a separate, unaffiliated 501(c)(3) from Feeding America (EIN 36-3673599, Chicago, founded 1979) — the larger national food-bank network. The names are similar; the EINs are different; the boards, missions, and financials are different. The IRS uses EIN as the unique identifier, not the name.

Federal trademark law and 501(c)(3) registration permit similar names across separate entities. Feeding America's predecessor (America's Second Harvest) was renamed in 2008. Feed America was formed in 2021 in Texas. Both are legally legitimate organizations using their own legal names. Feed America's federal trademark filing will not contest Feeding America's existing trademark registrations; we are seeking trademark protection for our distinct mark "Feed America" used in commerce since 2021.

Brand assets + usage policy

Feed America's brand assets (logo, wordmark, color palette, typography) are licensed Creative Commons BY 4.0 with attribution. Acceptable usage:

Unacceptable usage:

Brand questions: legal@feedam.org.

Sister 501(c)(3) entities + name clarity

Feed America has two state-attributed sister 501(c)(3) entities, both legally distinct from but operationally affiliated with Feed America:

The naming convention "Feeding America [State]" was deliberately chosen for the sister entities to operate within the broader food-help category vocabulary while maintaining legal separation. The sister entities are not subsidiaries of Feeding America (the larger Chicago org); they are siblings of Feed America (us).

Verifiable on authority records

Brand identity claims above are verifiable on authoritative third-party records:

Press + legal contact

Brand-identity press inquiries: press@feedam.org. Brand-identity legal inquiries: legal@feedam.org. Trademark filing questions or coordination: legal@feedam.org.