Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas – For the 12th straight year, all U.S. Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations are launching the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, including right here in the Rio Grande Valley.
The goal of the annual cause marketing campaign is to provide people facing hunger with access to the food and resources they say they need to thrive. Here is how it works:
The campaign will run in stores and online from March 1-March 31, with three ways for shoppers to participate:
• By donating at check-out in stores or clubs or round up at Walmart.com and the Walmart app.
• By purchasing participating products* in-store or online at Walmart.com or SamsClub.com. For every purchase of a participating product, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent** of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America partner food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details.
• By donating at Feeding America’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign donation site at either www.feedingamerica.org/walmart or www.feedingamerica.org/samsclub
Since its inception in 2014, the campaign has generated more than $206 million and helped secure 2 billion meals* for the Feeding America® network of local food banks.
“With 1 in 2 children in rural areas of the Rio Grande Valley facing food insecurity, the need for support has never been greater,” said Libby A. Saenz, CEO of Food Bank RGV. “The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign is a powerful reminder that we all have a role to play in the fight against hunger. Whether through donations, volunteering, or advocacy, every action helps ensure that families in the Rio Grande Valley have the nutritious food they need to lead strong, healthy lives.”
Everyone needs nutritious food to thrive, and in every community in America, people are working hard to provide for themselves and their families. Yet in 2023, 47.4 million people—1 in 7 people—experienced food insecurity in the U.S.
Those are the highest numbers in a decade, underscoring the need for more charitable food assistance in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.
“For the past 20 years, Feeding America, Walmart and Sam’s Club have worked together to fight hunger and help people live better in the communities we serve,” said Julie Gehrki, president, Walmart Foundation and senior vice president, philanthropy at Walmart. “During the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, we invite our customers and members to join us in providing access to food for our neighbors by supporting the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley.”
The 24 participating suppliers for Walmart include: B&G Foods, Inc., Bush Brothers & Company, Celsius, The Coca-Cola Company, Conagra Foods, Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, Ferrero USA, General Mills, Hershey Salty Snacks, Kellanova, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Kodiak, Kraft Heinz, Lipton Tea, Ben’s Original, Materne, Mondelez International, Olipop, Pepsi-Cola Advertising & Marketing, Inc., Hidden Valley Original Ranch, The Hain Celestial Group, WK Kellogg Co, Unilever and Utz Quality Foods
The six participating suppliers for Sam’s Club include: Kellanova, Kodiak, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Nestlé and Unilever
For more information, visit: feedingamerica.org/campaigns/fight-hunger-spark-change
*Currently, $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local partner food banks.
** For every purchase of a participating product, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America partner food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details.
