OMAHA, Neb., March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- More than one in five of all children1 and more than one in four Latino children1 in this country may not know where their next meal is coming from. ConAgra Foods and P&G are building a community of people to make a difference and help donate up to 7 million meals in 2014 through the Child Hunger Ends Here program. Look for the red pushpin and locate the code found on specially marked ConAgra Foods and P&G products. For each 8-digit code entered at www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com or Facebook.com/ChildHungerEndsHere from March through August 2014, ConAgra Foods or P&G, respectively, will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America3, the leading domestic hunger-relief organization.
The 2014 Child Hunger Ends Here campaign is supported by Hunter Hayes, who will lend his voice to spread awareness for child hunger while asking consumers to take action by entering a code found on participating ConAgra Foods and P&G products. In his new hit single, "Invisible," Hayes brings visibility to the nearly 16 million children who are living in food insecure households in the United States. 1 For every download of "Invisible" on iTunes, Child Hunger Ends Here will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America, up to 1 million meals 2. As a presenting sponsor of Hayes' "We're Not Invisible" tour, kicking off March 20, Child Hunger Ends Here will be activating efforts across the country encouraging consumers to take action in the fight against child hunger. The campaign will also be supported with retail promotions, national TV integrations and a social media campaign.
"I'm proud to partner with ConAgra Foods' Child Hunger Ends Here program to share the message of hope in the fight against child hunger," says Hayes. "My new single 'Invisible' speaks to anyone who has ever felt outcast, alone, or invisible, including children who suffer from food insecurity. Hungry kids are in our schools, our neighborhoods and even right next door."
Consumers can easily participate by going to their local grocery stores and looking for the red pushpin and code on specially marked packages of 42 select ConAgra Foods and P&G brands, including Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Healthy Choice®, Hunt's®, Pampers®, Bounty®, Tide® and Pantene®, then visiting www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com or Facebook.com/ChildHungerEndsHere to enter the eight-digit code found on the package. For each code entered, the equivalent of one meal3 will be donated to Feeding America. Codes can be entered through June 2014 for P&G brands and August 2014 for ConAgra Foods brands. While entering codes, consumers will be able to submit their zip codes to support the local Feeding America food bank serving their community. Up to ten local food banks with the highest number of zip codes entered within their service area will receive the monetary equivalent of a 100,000-meal donation ($11,111).
"For more than 20 years, ConAgra Foods has provided funds, expertise and food to fight child hunger, and while there's been progress, child hunger continues to be a problem across America. We created the Child Hunger Ends Here program in 2010 to raise more awareness of this serious issue, and we've made it simple for consumers to get involved by starting with a code – one code equals one meal," says Gary Rodkin, CEO of ConAgra Foods. "Now, by partnering with P&G, we hope to have an even bigger impact and encourage more consumers to help us end child hunger in the U.S."
By partnering with P&G, participating Child Hunger Ends Here brands are doubled, making it easier for consumers to join the fight against child hunger.
"We are incredibly grateful for ConAgra Foods' ongoing commitment to fight domestic child hunger, and we are delighted that this year our longtime partner P&G will join the robust Child Hunger Ends Here program," says Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America, "Through our national network of food banks, we help feed 14 million children each year, which we could not accomplish without the support of our partners and the engagement of their consumers."
In addition to partnering with celebrity talent, ConAgra Foods enlists its own talent for the company's Month of Service in April. Employees at locations nationwide will volunteer at local Feeding America food banks, pack boxes of food and serve meals. The company hopes to exceed the more than 7,000 hours employees volunteered during last year's Week of Service.
Since 1993, through their partnerships with Feeding America, ConAgra Foods and ConAgra Foods Foundation have provided more than 325 million pounds of food and invested more than $37 million in capacity building, child hunger programs and groundbreaking research. The Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity primarily funded by the company, has a $10 million, 5-year commitment to Feeding America, the largest donation ever made to Feeding America specifically to fight child hunger.
For more information, visit www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com. You can also follow the discussion at Facebook.com/ChildHungerEndsHere, or follow along on Twitter and Instagram at @ChildHungerEnds.
About ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies with branded and private branded food found in 99 percent of America's households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Consumers can find recognized brands such as Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Healthy Choice®, Hebrew National®, Hunt's®, Marie Callender's®, Orville Redenbacher's®, PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food sold by ConAgra Foods under private brand labels, in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. Additionally, ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to commercial and foodservice customers. ConAgra Foods operates ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides consumers with easy dinner recipes and more. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com
About ConAgra Foods Foundation
The ConAgra Foods Foundation, through its Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform, is dedicated to raising awareness of the nearly 16 million children in America who are at risk of hunger and live in food insecure homes where they may not have enough food to live active, healthful lives. It aggressively pursues sustainable solutions in the fight against child hunger. And the Foundation is committed to building a community of people who are passionate about ensuring that all kids have access to the food and facts they need to eat nutritiously while living balanced lifestyles and succeeding in school and life. ConAgra Foods Foundation invests in national and local partnerships with high-impact, not-for-profit organizations, such as Feeding America and 4H that take an innovative approach to addressing needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.conagrafoods.com or www.facebook.com/conagrafoods The ConAgra Foods Foundation is primarily funded by ConAgra Foods.
About Procter & Gamble (P&G)
P&G serves approximately 4.8 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Ace®, Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Duracell®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Fusion®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Iams®, Lenor®, Mach3®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, Prestobarba®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, Wella®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 37 million people through 61,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters 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 http://www.feedingamerica.org/. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.
About Hunter Hayes
Four-time GRAMMY nominated artist, Hunter Hayes, is a multi-talented performer, musician, producer, and writer. His brand new single, "Invisible," off his forth-coming release due this May, showcases Hunter's growth not only as an artist but as a songwriter, taking the listener on an emotional journey lyrically; "Trust the one who's been where you are, wishing all it was, was sticks and stones. Those words cut deep but they don't mean you're all alone and you're not invisible."
His critically acclaimed Atlantic Records self-titled album garnered three consecutive No. 1 singles, selling over eight million singles to date while the album itself has been certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. His current Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for his No. 1 single "I Want Crazy" marks his fourth Grammy nomination off his debut release. Hunter is currently featured as one of Forbes Magazine's "30 Under 30" and has played over 500 dates since 2011. The Louisiana native has headlined sold out venues across the US and Canada and recently wrapped the sold out CMT On Tour: Hunter Hayes' Let's Be Crazy tour this past fall.
1 USDA Household Food Security in the U.S. 2012, (Sept. 2013)
2 For every "Invisible" song iTunes download between 1/27/14 and 4/4/14, ConAgra Foods will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal (11.1¢) to Feeding America, up to 1 million meals. Valid in U.S. and Puerto Rico only.
3Enter the eight-digit code found on participating products. For every ConAgra Foods code entered, ConAgra Foods will donate 11.1¢ and for every P&G code entered, P&G will donate 11.1¢, the cost for Feeding America to provide one meal through its network of local food banks. ConAgra Foods codes must be entered by 8/28/14 and P&G codes must be entered by 6/16/14. ConAgra Foods will donate up to 5 million meals with a guaranteed minimum donation of 1 million meals ($111,111) and P&G will donate up to 2 million meals with a guaranteed minimum of 1 million meals ($111,111). Limit 5 code entries per person/computer each day. See ChildHungerEndsHere.com for complete details and a list of participating brands. Valid in U.S. and Puerto Rico only. © ConAgra Foods, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2014 Proctor & Gamble.
SOURCE ConAgra Foods
