Sikeston – Walmart and Sam’s Clubs nationwide kicked off the seventh annual “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” Campaign on April 13 to raise awareness and funds for Feeding America and its nationwide network of food banks, including Southeast Missouri Food Bank.
Nationwide one in eight Americans struggle with hunger, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Locally, one in six families and one in five children are considered food insecure, meaning they don’t have the resources to access enough nutritious food.
Shoppers can support “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” by purchasing select products in store. A portion of the sales made in the 11 Walmart stores, Neighborhood Market and Sam’s Club locations in southeast Missouri will benefit SEMO Food Bank. Products included in the promotion are:
• Bush Brothers
• Campbell’s Soup
• Clif Bar
• Coca Cola
• Clorox
• Conagra Brands
• Crazy Richards
• Ferrara Candy
• General Mills
• Great Value
• JM Smucker
• Kellogg
• Kraft Heinz
• Materne North America
• Monster Energy
• Motts
• Nestle’s Waters
• Ocean’s Halo
• PEPSICO
• Post
• Soylent
• Unilever
Donations also may be made online at FeedingAmerica.org/Walmart or FeedingAmerica.org/SamsClub, and select your local food bank. The campaign continues until May 11, and the number of meals generated can be tracked at Walmart.com/fighthunger. Walmart kick-started the campaign with a $3 million donation to Feeding America and member food banks and a $5 million donation from Walmart Foundation for COVID-19 response efforts.
“This campaign comes at a critical time for us because we are seeing a tremendous increase in the number of people needing food assistance right now because of the job losses associated with the outbreak of COVID-19,” said SEMO Food Bank Chief Executive Officer Joseph Keys. “We appreciate our partnerships with Walmart over the years and the many ways they support our mission to end hunger and build healthy communities.”
“As we go into our seventh year of the ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’ campaign, it’s exciting to pass 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. “Hunger 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.”
More information is available at www.walmart.com/fighthunger.