BENTONVILLE, Ark. – This week Walmart launched its “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign, a nationwide initiative that encourages the public to join the fight against hunger.
The ‘’Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’’ campaign launches at a time when the USDA reports that 42 million people in America, including more than 13 million children, struggle with hunger. The campaign also 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.
Working with Discover card, Campbell Soup Company, General Mills, Kellogg Company, The Kraft Heinz Company and PepsiCo, Walmart is offering three ways to take action against hunger and help a local Feeding America food bank.
(1) Purchase: For every participating product purchased at U.S. Walmart stores from April 17 – May 15, 2017, the supplier will donate the equivalent of one meal ($0.09) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank, up to applicable limits. 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 ($0.09) to Feeding America and its network of member food banks, up to $1 million. See Walmart.com/fighthunger for further details.
(2) Online acts of support: Generate meals for Feeding America food banks by engaging with the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign on social media. 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.
(3) Donate at the register: Donate to your local Feeding America food bank at the register during checkout.
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.”
In March, NACS published a Community Toolkit that provides ideas and examples of numerous community-focused areas that retailers of all sizes can implement, including support for local food banks and pantries. The toolkit provides examples of how retailers are making a difference in their communities by giving back, and includes dozens of links to groups already partnering with convenience stores, as well as examples of how stores are succeeding with these partnerships.