Now in its 12th year, the annual cause
marketing campaign has helped Feeding America® partner food banks
secure more than 2 billion meals* for people facing hunger in local
communities.
CHICAGO,
Feb. 28,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 12th consecutive year,
all U.S. Walmart and Sam's Club locations are teaming up with
their customers, members, suppliers and associates for the Fight
Hunger. Spark Change. campaign to support the Feeding America
network of partner food banks.
The annual donation campaign, running
March 1-31, kicks off a celebration
of 20 years of partnership between Walmart, Sam's Club and Feeding
America that's grown into one of the most transformative
collaborations in the hunger relief space – with approximately
$271 million in donations – including
more than $177 million from the
company and the Walmart Foundation and nearly $95 million from customers and members. Walmart
and Sam's Club have also donated more than 9 billion pounds of food
to the Feeding America network of local food banks and partner
agencies since 2006.
"Our extraordinary partnership is grounded in a
shared belief that ending hunger in America is possible," said
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Feeding
America's CEO. "For two decades, Walmart and Sam's Club have
brought bold, impactful ideas to the table, and executed them
consistently and with purpose. We are grateful for all they've done
and all that's to come."
The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign will run
online and in stores from March 1-March
31. Shoppers have three easy ways to support people facing
hunger:
- 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 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.
- Donate at check-out in stores or clubs or online at Walmart.com
and the Walmart app.
- Donate at Feeding America's Fight Hunger. Spark Change.
campaign site at
either www.FeedingAmerica.org/Walmart or www.FeedingAmerica.org/SamsClub.
During the campaign, all donations stay local.
Sales-activated supplier donations and register donations are
directed to a local Feeding America partner food bank located
within a store or club's community. Since its inception in 2014,
the campaign has helped to secure nearly 2 billion meals* for
people facing hunger.
"For the past 20 years, Feeding
America, Walmart and Sam's Club have collaborated to help
people live better in the communities we serve. Together, we have
supported the charitable meal system's ability to recover more food
donations from retailers and use tech-powered solutions that help
food banks and agencies serve more people," said Julie Gehrki, president of the Walmart
Foundation and senior vice president at Walmart. "The Fight Hunger
Spark Change. campaign is another way we build support for the
fight against hunger by engaging our suppliers, customers and
members to join us in giving to local food banks across the
U.S."
Walmart and Feeding America's partnership began
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when Walmart
Foundation made a $1 million donation
for disaster relief.
In addition to more disaster relief support –
including major gifts in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton
in 2024 – multi-year investments from Walmart and Walmart
Foundation have helped fund Feeding America's efforts to maximize
food sourcing and sharing, as well as to expand its capacity to
source and distribute food more efficiently to households
experiencing food insecurity.
Walmart and the Walmart foundation have funded
retail agency capacity grants totaling $15.75 million – including a $9.75 million donation in 2024 – that have
reached more than 20 food banks and hundreds of partner agencies
across the country. The grants expand retail donation programs and
help fund personnel, equipment and transportation solutions that
result in increased amounts of food distributed to partner
agencies, including food pantries and meal programs.
Those grants have helped equip programs like the
Rolling Store Food Pantry, an agency partner of the Heart of
Alabama Food Bank which has for years been operated out of a school
bus in and around Montgomery,
Alabama. With a recent grant, program lead Jeremy Lynch bought a refrigerated freezer
trailer, allowing the group to safely transport more perishable
donated food to distribution events in several rural
counties.
"It's been a game changer for sure," Lynch said,
noting the new trailer system helped distribute food to about 8,500
families in 2024. Beyond the increased frequency of pickups and
pounds of food, the convenience of the new trailer affords Lynch
and his fellow volunteers more capacity and more time to help their
communities by standing up a sustainable program. "These grants are
making an impact that's far-reaching and that's something you can't
really put a number to," he said.
The 24 participating suppliers for this year's
Fight Hunger. Spark Change campaign for Walmart include: B&G
Foods, Inc., Ben's Original, Bush Brothers & Company, Celsius,
The Coca-Cola Company, Conagra Foods, Dole Packaged Foods, LLC,
Ferrero USA, General Mills,
Hershey Salty Snacks, Hidden Valley Original Ranch, Kellanova,
Keurig Dr. Pepper, Kodiak, Kraft Heinz, Lipton Tea, Materne, Mondelez International,
Olipop, Pepsi-Cola Advertising & Marketing, Inc., The Hain
Celestial Group, WK Kellogg Co, Unilever and Utz Quality
Foods.
The six participating suppliers for Sam's Club
include: General Mills, Kellanova, Kodiak, Kraft Heinz, Nestlé and
Unilever.
To learn more about the campaign,
visit https://www.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.
Media Contact
Emily James
Feeding America
About Feeding America
Feeding
America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We
support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity
to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part
of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank
associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in
innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious
food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work
to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost
of living and employment. We partner with people experiencing food
insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united
with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit FeedingAmerica.org to
learn more.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people
save money and live better — anytime and anywhere — in
stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week,
approximately 270 million customers and members visit more than
10,750 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19 countries. With
fiscal year 2025 revenue of $681
billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 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 corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook
at facebook.com/walmart, on X (formerly known as Twitter)
at twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn
at linkedin.com/company/walmart.
About Sam's Club
Sam's Club, the
$90 billion division of Walmart Inc.
(NYSE: WMT), is a membership club that is pioneering the future of
retail experience, providing exclusive access to value, convenience
and modern omnichannel shopping options to millions of members in
600 clubs across the U.S. and Puerto
Rico. With over 40 years of innovating in the category,
Sam's Club continues to redefine club membership shopping with its
curated assortment of quality fresh food and Member's Mark® items,
in addition to market leading technologies and services like Scan
& Go™, curbside pickup and home delivery. Visit the Sam's Club
Newsroom, shop at SamsClub.com or connect with Sam's Club
on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walmart-and-sams-club-fight-hunger-spark-change-campaign-kicks-off-20-years-of-partnership-with-feeding-america-302388200.html
SOURCE Feeding America
