Few companies are more committed to fighting hunger and poverty than Walmart. Feeding America‘s largest corporate donor and a longtime supporter of the FoodBank, they’ve secured millions of meals for neighbors in need nationwide through their grants and cause marketing efforts.
This year, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey is partnering with Feeding America and Walmart on the sixth annual “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign to raise funds and awareness for those facing hunger. Walmart is celebrating 749 million meals provided to date through the campaign, with hopes of reaching 1 billion meals this year. Supporters can take action to make this possible by donating in-store, online, or by purchasing participating items between April 22 and May 20, 2019.
“As we go into our sixth year of the ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change’ campaign, it’s exciting to approach the 1 billion mark in terms of charitable meals secured for Feeding America over the life of the program,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, chief sustainability officer for Walmart. “Food insecurity continues to affect communities across the United States. Working with Feeding America, our customers, members, associates and suppliers, Walmart and Sam’s Club aim to be part of the solution.”
As part of the campaign, the FoodBank received a grant to create “Faces of the FoodBank,” a storytelling exhibit that’s been set up in our warehouse, which showcases testimonials from some of the people whose lives have been impacted by our work, including kids, FSTA students, and clients. Now through mid-May, our volunteers and guests will visit the show to learn that the face of hunger isn’t what they think, providing feedback on our comment cards after they’ve viewed it. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to read some of their most insightful responses and see a peek at the exhibit!
“The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is grateful to Walmart for their ongoing generosity and their commitment to being part of the solution to hunger in New Jersey,” said Carlos Rodriguez, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “We are especially excited about the storytelling opportunity that this grant provides, allowing us to showcase potent impact stories that prove that the face of hunger is often unexpected.”
Fight Hunger. Spark Change. kicked off at our Egg Harbor Township location on April 23 with volunteers from Kellogg, one of the initiative’s participating retailers.
We also celebrated the campaign in Hillside on April 25 with volunteers from a few of our local Walmart stores, who offered their thoughts on the show and bagged pasta in our clean room.
Though the FoodBank has participated in “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” since the campaign’s inception, it’s not the only way that Walmart has supported our work. In the past, they’ve also provided grants for Kids Cafes, SNAP Outreach, agency capacity-building, and local grants for both our Hillside and Egg Harbor Township locations.
