To date, the campaign has helped to secure more than 1.5 billion meals* for local Feeding America® food banks

CHICAGO, April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Now in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across the country continue to feel the economic impact. Inflation and supply chain disruptions are affecting the charitable food system as well as millions of families. As a result, the Feeding America network has deepened its response to food insecurity, which currently affects more than 38 million people in the United States.

To help address this issue, thousands of Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs are teaming up with their customers, members, suppliers and associates for the ninth annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign.

The campaign will run online and in store from April 18-May 15. There are three easy ways to support neighbors in need.

• For every participating product purchased in store or online at Walmart.com or SamsClub.com, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam's Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details.
• Donate at check-out in stores or clubs or round up at Walmart.com.
• Donate at Feeding America's Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign donation site at either www.FeedingAmerica.org/Walmart or www.FeedingAmerica.org/SamsClub.

Each Walmart store and Sam's Club is matched to a local Feeding America member food bank, and all sales-triggered supplier donations and customer register donations in stores and clubs are tied to that local food bank. To kickstart this year's campaign, Walmart invested $2 million, most of which will support food banks in communities with the highest rates of food insecurity and racial and access disparities.

"The pandemic is still very much a part of our lives, and it continues to impact the economy and household budgets. Additionally, recovery will be much slower for communities that continue to experience disproportionate rates of food insecurity," said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. "Everyone has a part to play in ending hunger in America. Feeding America is grateful to Walmart and Sam's Club for their long-standing commitment to helping local food banks and our neighbors in need."

"Hunger knows no boundaries and affects all of our communities. For the ninth year, Walmart and Sam's Club invites our customers, members and suppliers to join us in the fight against hunger and help neighbors in need by participating in the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign," said Kathleen McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer at Walmart and president of the Walmart Foundation. "Together, we can help communities live better by expanding access to healthy, nutritious food."

The campaign benefits all 200 Feeding America member food banks and has helped secure more than 1.5 billion meals for people facing hunger in communities across the country. Since 2005, Walmart, the Walmart Foundation, and Sam's Club have contributed 7 billion pounds of nourishing food and tens of millions of dollars in grants to support Feeding America and member food banks' hunger-relief efforts. 

The 21 participating suppliers for Walmart include: Abbott; BIMBO Bakeries, USA; BODYARMOR; Bush Brothers & Company; Campbell Soup Company; Ferrera Candy Company; General Mills; Great Value; Iovate Health Sciences; J. M. Smucker; Kellogg's; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kraft Heinz; Materne North America; Monster Energy; Post Consumer Brands; Simply Good Foods; The Clorox Company; The Coca-Cola Company; Unilever; and United States Nutrition.

The participating suppliers for Sam's Club include: Cascade (Procter & Gamble); Dole Packaged Foods, LLC; General Mills; J. M. Smucker; Kellogg's; Keurig Dr Pepper; Materne North America; Member's Mark; Purina; and PEPSICO.

To learn more about the campaign, visit https://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/partners/current-promotions/fight-hunger-spark-change.

*Currently, $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

Contact
Zuani Villarreal
Feeding America
312.641.6532

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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, approximately 230 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and clubs under 46 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2022 revenue of $573 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 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 https://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at https://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/walmart.

Sam's Club

Sam's Club®, a division of Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products, savings, and services to millions of members in nearly 600 U.S. clubs, including Puerto Rico. Now in its 39th year, Sam's Club continues to redefine warehouse shopping with its highly curated assortment of high-quality fresh food and Member's Mark items and market-leading technologies and services like Scan & Go™, Curbside Pickup and home delivery service in select markets. To learn more about Sam's Club, visit the Sam's Club Newsroom, shop at samsclub.com, and interact with Sam's Club on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

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SOURCE Feeding America