The Truth: 
This one comes across looking like a rumor, but it is not.  It feels to many people like the emails that say, "forward this email to all your friends and 5 cents will be donated to save my dying daughter."  This one is different, however.  With the emails, there is no practical way for any organization to know to whom you are forwarding them, so there's no way they will earn donations for a worthy cause.  The principle of www.thehungersite.com is simple, however, and valid.  Corporate sponsors agree to donate a small amount of money for every time someone clicks the "Donate Free Food" banner.  The sponsors get visibility for it because there icons that list who they are.  Additionally, many of them agree to give a percentage of any actual sales that result from the website..