Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, has partnered with the Ad Council and McCann New York to launch new public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to raise awareness about child hunger in the United States.
Featuring the voice of celebrity activist Julianne Moore, who volunteered her time and talent, the PSAs call upon Americans to help children facing hunger in America by supporting the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks.
One in five children in America – 15 million – struggle with hunger, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Research shows that proper nutrition, particularly in the first three years of life, is critical to a child’s physical and emotional development. Children from families struggling with hunger may be more likely to:
• repeat a grade in elementary school;
• experience developmental impairments in areas like language and motor skills; or
• have more social and behavioral problems.
“Hunger is harmful to people of all ages, yet we know it is particularly devastating for children,” said Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America. “We hope that these PSAs serve as a wake-up call on behalf of children in every community in our nation who need our help, whose basic needs are not being met.”
The new PSAs feature real-life moments that illustrate the lengths people go to help kids every day, whether it’s finding the owner of a lost toy or picking up a dropped sippy cup. Through these small acts of kindness toward children, the PSAs call attention to the sentiment that “we would do anything for kids.” It further emphasizes that message by stating the reality that millions of children across the country face hunger and are in need of our kindness and support.
“We all can play a role in ensuring our children have enough to eat and we are profoundly grateful for Ms. Moore’s support to raise awareness and inspire action on this serious issue,” said Aviv.
The PSAs encourage audiences to visit www.FeedingAmerica.org/psa where they can take action to support children facing hunger, by:
• learning more about child hunger in their communities;
• finding volunteer opportunities at a Feeding America network food bank in their area;
• contacting Members of Congress to advocate for strong child nutrition programs; and
• donating food or funds to ensure children and their families have meals on the table.
The new PSA campaign was created pro bono by agency partner, McCann New York, in partnership with the Ad Council and with theme music from Transparent donated by Amazon Studios. Funding for the PSAs was provided by C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. and the ConAgra Foods Foundation.
“Every day we get to do things that help our clients reach their goals. But it’s not often that a client asks us to help end childhood hunger in the U.S. We are humbled and grateful to be part of Feeding America’s great work and proud to help the Ad Council address the most important issues of our time,” said Grant Smith, Executive Creative Director of McCann NY.
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 $383 million worth of donated media space to Feeding America’s PSAs.
“With so many people willing and ready to help children, it is difficult to grasp the fact that one in five children in America struggle with hunger. We’re proud to partner with Feeding America to reduce hunger by showing just how easy it is to help. Our hope is that these new PSAs showcasing strangers doing good deeds for children will drive home the huge impact small acts can have,” shares Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of Ad Council.
The release of the Feeding America child hunger PSAs coincide with the launch of their largest annual awareness campaign, Hunger Action Month. Each September, the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks leads this campaign to drive awareness and mobilize the public to take action in the fight to end hunger.
