White Plains, NY – This fall, foodservice operators, consumers and The Dannon Company rallied around the company’s SACK HUNGER campaign to support the fight to end hunger in the U.S. and raised over 1.6 million meals1 in three action packed months.
The SACK HUNGER Program was initiated through a unique partnership between Danone Food Service, the NFL and long-standing partner Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. In bringing together these three powerful brands, the initiative featured an exciting digital campaign for consumers and a comprehensive employee volunteer program that, together, put over 1.6 million more meals on the plates of our neighbors this holiday season.
Beginning in September, consumers were invited via POS placed in top Foodservice locations to participate in the SACK HUNGER text-to-feed sweepstakes, where each text received triggered a donation to Feeding America and simultaneously entered the consumer into a sweepstakes for a chance to win NFL related prizes, including one Grand Prize of a trip to Super Bowl 50 courtesy of Dannon. Through this campaign, Dannon and consumers donated the value of over 500,000 meals to Feeding America.
“We are thrilled with the impact of our SACK HUNGER promotion and how it enabled our consumers to join the fight to end hunger in the US where one in seven people are food insecure – including 15 million children.2. We are also very pleased to announce that Keith & Carolyn Kuhnke of Springfield Illinois have won the trip to the Super Bowl,” said Carolina Barsa, Dannon’s Foodservice Channel Marketing Manager who led the initiative for Dannon.
In addition to the consumer program, Danone unleashed the power of its employees (known as Danoners) to help SACK HUNGER through hands-on volunteer events and an employee and company donation campaign, adding over 550,000 meals to the donation tally. Further, Danoners across the country packed over 600,000 nutritious meals by hand for their local Feeding America network food banks. “At Danone, we have some very deep-seated beliefs to promote health through food to as many people as possible, which are realized through our commitments and initiatives like SACK HUNGER,” said Antoine Remy, Vice President Foodservice and Business Development. “We are proud to launch a program so close to the core of our company that our own Danoners stand behind and provides our employees and consumers the opportunity to work together to fight hunger in the communities where we live, work and play.”
Since its partnership with Feeding America began in 2000, Dannon has donated over 56 million pounds of nutrient dense foods that are in high demand at food banks. "We’re thrilled to have community partners like Dannon who continually demonstrate their commitment to support the fight against hunger by providing nutrient dense foods and encouraging healthier eating habits and lifestyles for our neighbors," said Nancy Curby, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for Feeding America. “Through our partnership in the SACK HUNGER initiative, we are able to better serve the 46 million Americans facing hunger who turn to us each year.”
For more information on SACK HUNGER program, sweepstakes and how you can help fight hunger in your community, visit www.HelpSackHunger.com.
1 Based on Feeding America’s FY15 meal claim, $1.00 helps provide 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.
2 USDA
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About Dannon and Danone
Headquartered in White Plains, New York, Dannon makes yogurt in Minster, OH, Fort Worth, TX, West Jordan, UT, and Portland, OR, and offers more than 200 different flavors, styles and sizes of cultured refrigerated and frozen dairy products to serve the diverse needs of its retail and foodservice customers. Dannon brings health through food to as many people as possible via its wide offering of delicious and wholesome fresh and frozen yogurts. Dannon is a subsidiary of Danone, and Dannon is the top-selling brand of yogurt worldwide, sold under the names Dannon and Danone. For more information, visit dannon.com.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs 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 www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Source: Dannon and Danone
