From March 28 through April 25, Walmart is holding its annual “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign, a nationwide initiative calling on the public to take action in the fight against hunger. The Feeding America nationwide network of 200 food banks, of which the Chattanooga Area Food Bank (Food Bank) is a member, stands to benefit from up to $3 million in potential Walmart donations based on public participation in the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign.
By combining Walmart’s donation with supplier donations through product purchases and customer donations at the register, the campaign has a goal of helping to secure 75 million meals for the Feeding America network. The campaign runs through April 25.
With the USDA reporting that one in seven people in America struggle with hunger, the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign comes at a critical time. Here in the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia region, 165,000 people may not know where they will find their next meal.
“We appreciate Walmart’s ongoing commitment to fighting hunger and are thrilled that Walmart is asking the public to get involved and make a difference in their local communities through the ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’ campaign,” said Christa Mannarino, Interim President of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. “In partnership with the Feeding America network, this campaign will significantly boost our collective ability to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in America, allowing us to secure more local funds and, ultimately provide food to more people in need in the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia region. We hope people across our community will take action and join us in fighting hunger by participating in the campaign.”
To raise awareness and help provide meals to those in need, Walmart and five of its national suppliers – Campbell Soup Company, General Mills, Kellogg Company, Kraft Heinz Company, and PepsiCo – are calling on the public to take action in-store and online to generate support for the Feeding America network.
“This campaign is a great example of our long-standing commitment to hunger relief and dedication to ensuring every family has access to affordable, nutritious and sustainably grown food,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation and chief sustainability officer for Walmart. “Successful partnerships are the key to making a positive impact on the issue of hunger in the U.S. and we’re proud to once again be working with Feeding America, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to fighting hunger, and food banks across the country like the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Together with Feeding America, its member food banks and our suppliers and customers, we can make a real difference for those currently struggling with hunger.”
From March 28 to April 25, there are three easy ways to “Fight Hunger and Spark Change” in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia:
1. Buy Participating Products: Purchase participating products in Walmart stores to help provide meals to local families who struggle with hunger. For every participating product purchased at Walmart between March 28th and April 25th, 2016, the manufacturer will donate $0.09 to Feeding America – enough to secure one meal on behalf of local food banks – up to each manufacturer’s maximum donation, which is provided on the participating packages. See package or Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.
2. Online Acts of Support: Generate donations for Feeding America food banks by using #FightHunger on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, sharing and liking campaign posts on Facebook, showing support on Walmart.com/fighthunger and using campaign Snapchat filters in select stores. For the first time, Twitter has developed a custom emoji for the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign. When users Tweet using the hashtag #FightHunger, the custom emoji will appear after the hashtag. For each online act of support, Walmart will donate an amount to help secure 10 meals (an equivalent of $0.90) on behalf of Feeding America member food banks, up to $1.5 million.
To kick off the campaign, Walmart will make an initial donation of $1.5 million to Feeding America with the goal of reaching a total donation of $3 million based on the public’s social engagement.
3. Donate at the Register: Donate to a local Feeding America member food bank at the register during checkout.
This is Walmart’s 10th year partnering with Feeding America nationally to fight hunger and the 3rd annual “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign. Last year, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank benefited from over $45,000 dollars from Walmart’s campaign to fight hunger. Walmart is the Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s largest local food donation partner and regularly contributes through the Food Bank’s retail donation program. Each year, thousands of people in the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia community benefit from the generous donations on behalf of Walmart stores.
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger
