Photos: Mario Batali Teams Up With NatGeo, Feeding America To Highlight What Hunger Looks Like In America

Last month, chef Mario Batali joined National Geographic and Feeding America — an organization that provides resources to combat hunger in the U.S. — to serve as the guest photo editor for National Geographic's Your Shot assignment, "The Story of Hunger and Hope," in tandem with the publication's yearlong focus, The Future of Food.

Chef Batali, who is a member of Feeding America's Entertainment Council as well as The Daily Meal's own Culinary Council selected four of his favorite photographs from a public contest open to photographers around the country.

In a post on National Geographic's Your Shot Blog, Batali details the selection process and the importance of bringing attention to the ongoing plight of America's hungry.

"Narrowing down the thousands of entries to these four photos (from the Your Shot campaign) was tough — so many brilliant shots were submitted," Batali told The Daily Meal.

"I chose these four because they depict hope, community, and solution. They inspire us to not just see the beauty in the photograph, but to understand and connect the struggle and the beautiful story of resilience beneath each shot."

A selection of Batali's favorites will appear in the book Feeding America: Stories of Hunger and Hope, which is scheduled to be published October 2015.