Disclosure: “This post is brought to you by “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.”
Food insecurity is an issue facing families in communities across the country, nearly one in five children in America lives in households that struggle to put food on the table. Louisiana has the fourth highest rate of children living in poverty in the country. You might never know this because child hunger in America is often invisible, it could be friends, neighbors and even family members that are struggling with food insecurity.
There are many ways to help those in our community that struggle with food insecurity, one tangible way to make a difference is with Walmart’s “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign. Walmart is committed to providing meals to those in need and with the help of Discover, five food suppliers and Walmart customers, they hope to donate enough to help Feeding America secure 100 million meals on behalf of its member food banks across the country. As the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization, the Feeding America network provides food to more than 46 million people in communities across America. This includes the Baton Rouge Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.
Last week I had the opportunity to interview Jay Vise, Communications and Marketing Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, to discuss how the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign has benefited the food bank and the local community. Jay shared important information about the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign, as well as his thoughts on the importance of donating during the spring months when donations are usually down, and strategies for bridging the food gap children experience during the summer months.
As we approach summer, one of the greatest needs that Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana will meet is fighting summer hunger. During the school year the food bank offers an after school program, Kids Cafe, where they provide thousands of free meals to students as well as a place to study. In the summer, when school meals and those free after school meals disappear, children find themselves hungry and with few options. Second Harvest Food Bank’s summer feeding program provides meals to numerous children’s groups throughout the summer as well as supporting shelters, recovery programs and local support groups with hot meals for those in need.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Walmart is Second Harvest Food Bank’s single biggest donor and the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign offers the biggest boost and spike in support for the food bank. The “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign not only provides donations but raises awareness about the needs of food banks across America.
Friends, the most important thing I learned from talking to Jay is that the food bank needs our help! Go to your local food banks website to learn about their current needs, donate, volunteer and go to your local Walmart to make a difference in your community with the “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign!
There are three easy ways to get involved and help fight hunger during the campaign:
- Online Acts of Support: Generate meals for Feeding America food banks by engaging with the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign on social media: Create original content that with the hashtag #FightHunger, like, share and/or comment on campaign content and click on Walmart-provided campaign content via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For each visible 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.
- Purchase: Purchase participating products in Walmart stores to help provide meals those struggling with hunger. For each product purchased, the supplier will donate the equivalent of one meal ($0.09) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank, up to applicable limits. Additionally, 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.
- Donate at the Register: Donate to a Feeding America food bank at the register during checkout.
The campaign will run online and in all U.S. Walmart stores through May 15, 2017. To kick off the campaign, Walmart will make an initial donation of $1.5 million to Feeding America. Based on the public’s social engagement, they aim to reach a total donation of $3 million.
I’m a huge fan of the work being done at our local food banks in partnership with Walmart, I encourage you to join us to “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” — to help our local Feeding America food banks support those struggling with hunger.