Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization, has partnered with the Ad Council to launch new public service ads (PSA) designed to raise awareness about child hunger in America.
Featuring celebrity activists Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner, who volunteered their time and talent, the PSAs call for Americans to help children facing hunger by supporting the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks.
“My family grew up relying on public assistance to help provide meals for our family,” said Scarlett Johansson. “Child hunger in America is a real and often overlooked problem, but one that together, we can fix. It is my hope that by joining with Feeding America, our awareness of this issue will lead to a solution.”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one in five children in America – nearly 16 million children – struggle with hunger. Although food insecurity is harmful to people of all ages, it can be particularly devastating for children because of the potential for long term consequences. Research has shown that good nutrition has implications for a child’s future physical and mental health, academic achievement and economic productivity.
“There are children facing hunger in every community across America. That is unacceptable. These new PSAs allow us to expose the prevalence of child hunger and engage the nation in solving the problem,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “We all have a role to play in making sure children have enough to eat and we are profoundly grateful for Ms. Johansson and Mr. Renner for lending their voices to raise awareness about the issue.”
The new PSAs feature appeals from Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson, with information about how individuals can help solve hunger. The ads encourage audiences to visit www.FeedingAmerica.org where they can learn more about hunger in their communities, find volunteer opportunities at a food bank in their area, contact Members of Congress, donate food or funds, and more. The campaign includes new TV PSAs designed pro bono by 360i.
“It is a privilege to be partnering with Feeding America and the Ad Council to support the fight to end hunger in America,” said 360i CEO Sarah Hofstetter. “This PSA campaign discusses the reality of hunger in the U.S., with the goal of getting more people involved and driving support for the largest network of food banks in America. We are looking forward to working with Feeding America to continue to promote this important cause throughout the year.”
The new PSAs are an extension of the Hunger Prevention campaign, first launched by Feeding America and the Ad Council in 2008. Through the Ad Council’s unique model, all PSAs will run during advertising time donated entirely by the media. Since the launch of the national Hunger Prevention campaign, media outlets across the country have contributed more than $300 million in time and space for Feeding America’s PSAs.
“We’re proud to support Feeding America in their efforts to tackle this critical issue,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “We hope that the campaign will be a catalyst for volunteers, supporters and donors to unite behind this movement, and increase access to food for the millions of children in need.”
