Westmoreland County Food Bank to Benefit From Walmart’s “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” Campaign
WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK TO BENEFIT FROM WALMART’S “FIGHT HUNGER. SPARK CHANGE.” CAMPAIGN
Through online acts of support, purchasing participating products and donating at the register, campaign aims to help Feeding America secure 75 million meals on behalf of member food banks
This week, Walmart launched its “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 Westmoreland County Food Bank is a member, stands to benefit from up to $3,000,000 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 Westmoreland County, 44,420 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 Kris Douglas, CEO of the Westmoreland County 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 Westmoreland County. We hope people throughout the 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 Westmoreland County 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 Westmoreland County:
- 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 28 and April 25, 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 participating product packaging or Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.
- 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.
- 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 food bank benefited from over $25,000 dollars from Walmart’s campaign to fight hunger. Each and every week the local Walmart stores donate generously food to help fight hunger as well. In 2015 alone, over 476,000 pounds of perfectly consumable food was kept out of landfills and given to families in need throughout our community.
“We are very grateful for our partnership with our local Walmart stores,” said Douglas. “We couldn’t do what we do without them.”
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger.
About Westmoreland County Food Bank
The Westmoreland County Food Bank serves nearly 45,000 area residents each year including 13,500 children and 4,950 seniors. WCFB currently has 62 member agencies in their network of emergency feeding sites. Of those, 45 are food pantries in which low income consumers are able to access emergency food assistance throughout the month. Last year (2015), the Food Bank distributed over 7.5 million pounds of food.
50% of WCFB’s food comes from the federal and state governments and the remaining 50% from local donations, food drives, and Feeding America. Administrative and fundraising costs account for 4% of the Food Bank’s operating budget.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
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Westmoreland County Food Bank to Benefit From Walmart’s “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” Campaign
WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK TO BENEFIT FROM WALMART’S “FIGHT HUNGER. SPARK CHANGE.” CAMPAIGN
Through online acts of support, purchasing participating products and donating at the register, campaign aims to help Feeding America secure 75 million meals on behalf of member food banks
This week, Walmart launched its “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 Westmoreland County Food Bank is a member, stands to benefit from up to $3,000,000 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 Westmoreland County, 44,420 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 Kris Douglas, CEO of the Westmoreland County 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 Westmoreland County. We hope people throughout the 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 Westmoreland County 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 Westmoreland County:
- 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 28 and April 25, 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 participating product packaging or Walmart.com/FightHunger for details.
- 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.
- 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 food bank benefited from over $25,000 dollars from Walmart’s campaign to fight hunger. Each and every week the local Walmart stores donate generously food to help fight hunger as well. In 2015 alone, over 476,000 pounds of perfectly consumable food was kept out of landfills and given to families in need throughout our community.
“We are very grateful for our partnership with our local Walmart stores,” said Douglas. “We couldn’t do what we do without them.”
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger.
About Westmoreland County Food Bank
The Westmoreland County Food Bank serves nearly 45,000 area residents each year including 13,500 children and 4,950 seniors. WCFB currently has 62 member agencies in their network of emergency feeding sites. Of those, 45 are food pantries in which low income consumers are able to access emergency food assistance throughout the month. Last year (2015), the Food Bank distributed over 7.5 million pounds of food.
50% of WCFB’s food comes from the federal and state governments and the remaining 50% from local donations, food drives, and Feeding America. Administrative and fundraising costs account for 4% of the Food Bank’s operating budget.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
