Feeding Matters raises more than $185,000 for Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD)

Feeding Matters, the first organization in the world dedicated to advancing the system of care for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), raised more than $185,000 during its 8th Annual Community Event, presented by Jaburg Wilk Attorneys at Law and Mead Johnson Nutrition and underwritten by several additional local sponsors.

For the first time ever and in response to COVID-19, this annual event was livestreamed on a national stage, from Phoenix, AZ on November 12. More than 820 virtual guests from around the globe joined honorary chairs Kristen and David French as the Arizona-based nonprofit honored Valley philanthropists Judy and Bill Schubert with its Visionary Award.

An active figure in Phoenix philanthropy for more than 35 years, among her many accomplishments Judy co-founded the Phoenix Ronald McDonald House and currently serves a member of the Barrow Women’s board, The Board of Visitors, and was on the board of the Junior League of Phoenix as well as several other organizations.  Bill is currently serving as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the 100 Club of Arizona and has served as Chairman of the St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center Community Board and the Ronald McDonald House of Phoenix Endowment Foundation among other local non-profits.  Judy and Bill have championed Feeding Matters since its inception. They served as the 2016 Community Luncheon Event Honorary Chairs and Judy has served as a Community Advisor for the past 8 years. Bill and Judy are supporters of their current three-million-dollar Power of a Name Campaign.

Founder and Emeritus Board Member, Shannon Goldwater kicked off the event with a welcome address.  Feeding Matters shared several Stories of Resilience leading up to the event and during the program.

“The time and generosity of our supporters, donors, and partners helped pave the way for a landmark year.  In spite of the global pandemic, Feeding Matters achieved several advocacy milestones in 2020 including; expanding our educational materials for families, hosting the international PFD conference which reached all 50 states and more than 34 countries, publishing the second phase of research on our Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire in the Journal of Pediatrics and inciting the research that shows that more than 1 in 37 children have PFD and even more significant – 1 in 3 to 5 children with a chronic disease has PFD.

In addition, we received word that PFD will have its own diagnostic code in an upcoming edition of the US ICD-10 manual and to round out the year we just received a formal proclamation naming December 2020 PFD Awareness Month from Arizona’s Governor Ducey,” said Jaclyn Pederson, Chief Executive Officer, Feeding Matters.  “We are so thankful to our support base who join us in creating continued momentum toward a world in which children with PFD thrive,” Pederson concluded.

To watch the recorded broadcast, please click here.

For kids with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), every bite of food can be painful, scary, or simply impossible to swallow, potentially impeding nutrition, development, growth, and overall well-being. Yet, there is no functional system of care for PFD locally, nationally, or internationally. That’s why Feeding Matters is dedicated to creating a world where children with pediatric feeding disorder will thrive. Established in 2006, Feeding Matters is the first organization in the world uniting the concerns of families with the field’s leading advocates, experts, and allied healthcare professionals to ignite unprecedented change to the system of care through advocacy, education, support, and research – including a stand-alone diagnosis, the International Pediatric Feeding Disorder Conference, and the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire. In 2018, Feeding Matters reached more than 125,000 individuals in 50 states and 143 countries through their programs and website.