Local Food Bank benefits from hunger campaign
The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank will be a beneficiary of a nationwide hunger campaign launched April 17 by Walmart. The campaign will run through May 15.
The fourth annual hunger campaign “Fight Hunger, Spark Change.” asks the general public to join with them to fight hunger.
According to a news release from Walmart, the company is working with Discover and five suppliers, which represent some of the nation’s leading food companies – Campbell Soup Company, General Mills, Kellogg Company, The Kraft Heinz Company and PepsiCo.
“This is a great thing,” said Kent Eikenberry, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, the local Feed America food bank. “While this is a nationwide campaign, the majority of the funds come back to the local community to support the efforts of the Food Bank to meet the needs of food insecurity.”
Last year, the campaign raised $17 million to support food banks across the county, said Lauren Biedron, managing director, corporate partnerships for Feeding America, whose member food banks are the beneficiaries of the campaign.“Walmart does a great job of raising awareness of the hunger issue,” Biedron said. “It’s easy for people to get involved in the campaign.” Eikenberry pointed out that there are three ways for the general public to get involved in the program.
PURCHASE -- For every participating product purchased at U.S. Walmart stores through May 15, the six food companies will donate the equivalent of one meal 9 cents) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank, according to the Walmart news release.
For every Discover card transaction made at U.S. Walmart stores and Walmart.com during the campaign period, Discover will donate the equivalent of one meal 9 cents) to Feeding America and its network of member food banks, up to $1 million. See Walmart.com/fighthunger for further details.
ONLINE ACTS OF SUPPORT -- Generate meals for Feeding America food banks by engaging with the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign on social media. See Walmart.com/fighthunger for further details.
Facebook – Create original content that uses #FightHunger; like, share and/or react positively to campaign contest; click on Walmart provided campaign content.
Instagram – Create or share content using the campaign hashtag #FightHunger: like or share Walmart general campaign content.
Snapchat – Use Walmart provided “Fight Hunger, Spark Change.” Filter nationwide on Friday, April 21.
Twitter – Create original content that uses #FightHunger; like, share and/or make a campaign tweet a favorite; retweet a message featuring the campaign hashtag #Fight Hunger; click on Walmart-provided campaign content.
For each online act of support, Walmart will donate the equivalent of 10 meals ($0.90) to Feeding America on behalf of member food banks, up to $1.5 million.
DONATE AT THE REGISTER -- Donate to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, the local Feeding America food bank, at the register during checkout.
The ‘’Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’’ campaign launches at a critical time when the USDA reports one in eight Americans currently struggle with hunger, the news release stated. To raise awareness for the issue of hunger in America and help generate meals for people struggling with hunger, Walmart and its suppliers are encouraging the public to take action online and in-store to support the Feeding America network of food banks and the more than 46 million Americans it serves throughout the country.
“This campaign is an important part of our ongoing commitment to helping families who struggle with hunger,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation and chief sustainability officer for Walmart. “Together with suppliers, customers and friends at Feeding America, we’re dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of those who live and work in the communities we serve.”
Walmart is kicking off the campaign with a $1.5 million donation and aims to donate a total of $3 million to Feeding America based on the public’s online participation in the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign. Combining Walmart’s donation with supplier donations through product purchases and customer donations at the register, the campaign has a goal of helping Feeding America secure 100 million meals on behalf of its member food banks.
“At Feeding America, we see firsthand the impact hunger has on families in communities across the country, and we understand it takes a village to help strengthen our communities and provide meals to people in need,” said Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. “Great partnerships are essential to moving the needle, and we are grateful to Walmart, its dedicated suppliers and Discover for coming together for the ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’ campaign. Movements like this give each and every one of us an opportunity to get involved and make a difference in the fight against hunger.”
With the USDA reporting that 42 million people in America, including more than 13 million children, struggle with hunger, the ‘’Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’’ campaign is part of Walmart’s larger commitment to provide meals to those in need, helping ensure every family has access to affordable, nutritious and sustainably-grown food.
As the nation’s largest grocer, Walmart is in a unique leadership position to positively impact the issue of hunger in the United States. In October 2014, Walmart announced a commitment to create a more sustainable food system, with a focus on improving the affordability of food by lowering the “true cost” of food for both customers and the environment, increasing access to food, making healthier eating easier, and improving the safety and transparency of the food chain. This commitment includes a goal of providing four billion meals to those struggling with hunger in the U.S. by 2020. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger.
Participating companies
In addition to Walmart, there are six companies participating in the fourth annual “Fight Hunger, Spark Change.” campaign, now through May 15.
The companies are:
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY -- For each purchase of participating Campbell Soup Company (CSC) product at Walmart, Campbell Soup will donate the equivalent of one meal (9 cents) to Feeding America, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $300,000 and a maximum donation $1 million.
DISCOVER -- For every transaction made with Discover at U.S. Walmart Stores and Walmart.com, Discover will donate 9 cents to Feeding America to secure one meal on behalf of local member food banks, up to $1 million with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000.
GENERAL MILLS -- For every participating General Mills product purchased at, General Mills will donate 9 cents to Feeding America -- enough to secure a meal on behalf of local food banks -- up to a maximum total donation of $1.7 million.
KELLOGG -- For each purchase of specially marked Kellogg's items, Kellogg's will donate the monetary equivalent of a meal (9 cents) to Feeding America. Kellogg’s guarantees a minimum donation of $150,000 and a maximum donation: $1.8 million. $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks.
KRAFT HEINZ -- For each purchase of participating Kraft Heinz products, Kraft Heinz will donate the monetary equivalent of a meal 9 cents) to Feeding America with a maximum donation of $2.5 million.
PEPSICO -- For each purchase of a participating PepsiCo, PepsiCo will donate 9 cents to Feeding America with a guaranteed minimum donation of $150,000 and a maximum donation of $775,000.
