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6th Annual "Fight Hunger. Spark Change." Campaign Sets Goal to Reach 1 billion meals


Springfield, IL (April 22, 2019) – One in eight Americans in communities across the U.S. struggle with hunger, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including one in five children in central and southern Illinois. To raise awareness and combat the issue, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Feeding America® and Central Illinois Foodbank are kicking off its sixth annual nationwide “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” (FHSC) campaign, which will run from April 22 to May 20.

In partnership with Central Illinois Foodbank, Walmart and Sam’s Club now invite central and southern Illinois shoppers to help fight hunger in their local community. There are three ways to participate – purchasing a participating item in-store or online, donating in-store or donating on Feeding America’s website.

With 749 million meals achieved over the last five years, central and southern Illinois customers and members can help the Feeding America network secure its 1 billion cumulative meals goal in three ways. They can track the number of meals by visiting www.walmart.com/fighthunger.

  • For every participating product purchased at U.S. Walmart stores, Sam’s Clubs or on Walmart.com during the campaign, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank, up to applicable limits.
  • Donate money to your local Feeding America food bank at participating Sam’s Club and Walmart stores in the U.S.
  • Donate at feedingamerica.org/Walmart.

Walmart kickstarted the campaign with a $3 million donation to Feeding America and member food banks including Central Illinois Foodbank. A purchase of one of the 267 participating items helps secure the equivalent of one meal. Each Walmart and Sam’s Club will partner with at least one Feeding America local food bank, and the 18 participating suppliers include: Bush Brothers, Campbell’s, Conagra Brands, Cliff Bar, General Mills, Gold Peak Tea, Great Value, Hidden Valley, JM Smucker, Kellogg, Kraft Heinz, McCormick, Motts, PepsiCo, Post, Uncle Ben’s, Nature Nate’s Honey and Unilever.

“We appreciate Walmart’s and Sam’s Club’s support in fighting hunger in our local communities,” said Pam Molitoris, executive director of Central Illinois Foodbank. “Over the last five years, the ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change’ campaign has raised over $300,000 for the Foodbank and has allowed us to provide nutritious meals and fresh produce to thousands of our neighbors. We hope people across central and southern Illinois will take action and continue to support this campaign.”

 “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.”

Last year, Central Illinois Foodbank benefited from nearly $100,000 from Walmart and Sam’s Club’s commitment to fight hunger.

To learn more about the campaign visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger.

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About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices.  Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites.  With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide.  Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.  Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and 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.

About Central Illinois Foodbank
Central Illinois Foodbank, established in 1982, distributes 9 million pounds of food annually to over 160 food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21 county region. Central Illinois Foodbank is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization. The mission of the Foodbank is to provide food, and develop awareness of and creative solutions for food insecurity.