Feeding America Kicks-Off Hunger Action Month - A National Initiative to Engage Communities...

Feeding America Kicks-Off Hunger Action Month - A National Initiative to
Engage Communities to 'Give a Little, Feed A Lot' in the Effort Against Hunger
in America

Macy's, The Cheesecake Factory, United Airlines, Sony Pictures Animation and
Microsoft Partner with Feeding America During Hunger Action Month

CHICAGO, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hunger Action Month (September),
led by Feeding America, is the nationwide effort to mobilize the public in the
fight against hunger in America. Hunger Action Month, formed to help those in
need, bloomed from a day of service into a month-long campaign as the economy
has taken a turn for the worse and the demand for food assistance has
increased. Through collaboration between Feeding America's national office,
their network of 205 food banks, corporate sponsors and engagement of
celebrities, Feeding America aims to raise awareness this September to help
the 36 million Americans who struggle with hunger through the universal
message "Give a Little, Feed a Lot."

"The demand for food assistance nationwide has increased 30 percent throughout
the last year and in many communities the increase is much higher," said Vicki
Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. "The effects of the economic
recession are being felt by more and more households each day. Hunger Action
Month spearheads our ongoing campaign to raise awareness and to help the 36
million people who are at risk of hunger in America. We are thankful to the
corporations who have stepped up to the plate and are helping shine a
spotlight on this solvable problem."

Throughout Hunger Action Month, Feeding America's nationwide network of 205
food banks are calling upon their communities to take action by giving up
something small through the "Give A Little, Feed a Lot" campaign. By
identifying small things in life, a person can see what the value of that item
would translate into meals and can then donate the value to their local food
bank. Americans are encouraged to participate in the month by attending local
food banks events, donating time, money or their voice, participating in one
of many corporate promotions and getting children involved as "Hunger
Helpers."

Hunger Action Month has attracted the attention of many corporate sponsors and
entertainment partners to help continue the dialogue and spread the "Give a
Little, Feed a Lot" message. The Hunger Action Month partners and campaigns
include:

-- Macy's "Come Together" campaign is a community-centered
initiative to raise 10 million meals for Feeding America. The campaign
asks the public to host dinner parties in their homes and to have
guests
donate to Feeding America in lieu of bringing a host gift. Macy's
will match dollar for dollar until the collective goal of 10 million
meals is reached. Macy's customers can also donate $1 at the
register at all Macy's stores, as well as to Shop for a Cause on
Saturday, October 17. To support the effort, Macy's will launch an
awareness campaign that includes a new star-studded TV commercial,
dinner parties hosted by world-renowned chefs from Macy's Culinary
Council at select stores, fashion nights, and a one-stop party
planning
destination at www.macys.com/cometogether that will feature recipes,
dinner party fashions, evites, themes, recommended playlists and other
special content to create the perfect gathering.
-- The Cheesecake Factory: The Cheesecake Factory's "Drive Out
Hunger" Tour kicks off on August 31 in Los Angeles with David
Arquette and will visit 30 cities in 30 days, ending in Washington,
D.C.
on October 1. For the entire month of September, Feeding America and
The
Cheesecake Factory hope to engage thousands of Americans by asking
guests to donate 2 cans of food to The Cheesecake Factory local event
site, and in turn, receive a slice of the new Stefanie's Ultimate
Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake. Over 32,000 employees from all 146
Cheesecake Factory restaurants across the country are also collecting
cans of soup during the month to benefit the food banks in their
communities. On September 30, for every guest that brings in two cans
of
soup, The Cheesecake Factory will be donating 10% of their guest check
to local food banks. The "Drive Out Hunger" Tour is part of
The Cheesecake Factory's "Share the Spirit" campaign.
Through July 29, 2010, with every purchase of a slice of the
Stephanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake, The Cheesecake Factory
will donate 25 cents to Feeding America -- and $1 per order online.
Through this entire campaign, The Cheesecake Factory expects to raise
over $400,000 for Feeding America.
-- United Airlines: The "official airline of Hunger Action
Month," United Airlines will run an in-flight video PSA during
September, along with a print version of this PSA in their in-flight
magazine, Hemispheres, to help encourage passengers to log onto
www.feedingamerica.org/united to join in the fight with cash donations
or miles. Transportation for Hunger Action month awareness events is
provided by United Airlines.
-- Sony Pictures Animation's "Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs:" Sony Pictures Animation and Feeding America have teamed
up to create a hunger awareness campaign involving their new movie,
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which hits theaters nationwide on
September 18. Ad Council PSAs featuring characters from the movie will
run in theater as movie trailers encouraging kids to become Hunger
Helpers by teaching them that 1 in 6 children in this country don't
know where their next meal will come from.
-- Microsoft: In addition to donating media on MSN.com, Microsoft is
extending their Browser for the Better campaign through the month of
the
September in honor of Hunger Action Month. The Browser for the Better
campaign is about making it easy for people to make a difference. For
each free download of Windows Internet Explorer 8 via
www.browserforthebetter.com, Microsoft will donate the financial
equivalent of 8 meals to Feeding America. Also, as an added
incentive,
Microsoft will double their donations for all users who are running
Internet Explorer 6 and who upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 from the
www.browserforthebetter.com site.
-- "Rock a Little, Feed a Lot" concert: Some of the best
musicians will gather in Los Angeles' Club Nokia on September 29
for what is aiming to be the year's largest hunger-relief concert,
a benefit for Feeding America and the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank.
Details about the "Rock a Little, Feed a Lot" concert will be
announced in the coming weeks. Tickets are available at
www.ticketmaster.com.

-- Hunger Helpers: On the Feeding America website and through the Ad
Council PSAs, kids are encouraged to get involved in the effort to end
hunger by becoming a "Hunger Helper." "Hunger
Helpers" can provide real meals to hungry people by playing games
on www.feedingamerica.org/hungerhelper. Kids can also download a
Hunger
Action Month toolkit that includes a plate for kids to decorate which
Feeding America will send to their congressman or congresswoman in an
effort to help support upcoming legislation. Every kid can fight
hunger
in their own community during Hunger Action Month.

To take part or learn what is going on in your community, please visit:
www.feedingamerica.org/hungeractionmonth .

About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to
survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief
charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans
each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the
entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 63,000 agencies
that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can
fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit
www.feedingamerica.org.

SOURCE Feeding America

Julie Cloutier, +1-212-691-2800, cloutier@sunshinesachs.com, or Phil Zepeda of
Feeding America, +1-312-641-6420, pzepeda@feedingamerica.org