Join the Fight! Walmart Urges Americans to Visit Facebook and Vote to Give Communities a Chance to Receive Up to $1 Million to Fight Hunger, 14 Days Left to Vote
Twenty-one communities will receive funds to help fight hunger - Johnson City, Tenn., Fresno, Calif., El Paso, Texas, Charlotte, N.C., and St. George, Utah currently hold the top five spots
BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For communities nationwide struggling with hunger and unemployment, there may be some relief in sight this spring. Walmart is giving away $2 million and is asking consumers to visit its Facebook page between now and April 30 to vote for one of 200 communities hit hardest by unemployment. The community with the most votes will receive $1 million to help fight hunger, and the next 20 communities will each receive $50,000 for hunger relief. The winning communities will be announced on May 1. Thus far, more than 48,000 votes have been cast in the campaign and users can vote once a day until April 30.
Walmart's Facebook campaign comes at a critical time. Spring traditionally brings a decrease in donations to food banks, leaving them unable to meet the needs of nearly 49 million Americans who at some point this year will be uncertain where their next meal will come from. Many of the communities suffering from food shortages are those communities with high levels of unemployment.
"Hunger is a defining issue for America as millions struggle to put food on the table every day. Helping fight hunger is something our associates, customers and supplier partners believe in and together we can help make a positive impact on this issue," said Jack Sinclair, executive vice president of Walmart's U.S. grocery business. "Simply by going into a Walmart store or going online, every consumer in America has the opportunity to join this effort."
According to the December 2011 report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 'Hunger and Homelessness in US Cities', unemployment led the list of causes of hunger cited by American cities. Walmart's Facebook campaign is intended to drive funds into those cities where the need is greatest. The top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest unemployment rate, according to the list from the U.S. Department of Labor, include El Centro, Calif., Yuma, Ariz., Yuba City, Calif., Merced, Calif., Modesto, Calif., Stockton, Calif., Fresno, Calif., Visalia-Porterville, Calif., Hanford-Corcoran, Calif., and Redding, Calif.
In addition to the Facebook campaign, Walmart is inviting customers to visit one of its 3,854 Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets nationwide and purchase products from participating suppliers—General Mills, ConAgra Foods, Kraft Foods and Kellogg Company—who are helping to provide more than 42 million meals to families struggling with hunger.
As the nation's largest grocer and largest retailer, Walmart is uniquely positioned to help end hunger in America. In 2010, the company committed $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger. As a part of this commitment, Walmart pledged to donate more than 1.1 billion pounds of food from Walmart stores, distribution centers and Sam's Club locations, valued at $1.75 billion, as well as $250 million in grants to support hunger relief organizations.
The company is also lending its expertise to help food banks operate more efficiently. Thus far, Walmart has contributed more than 594 million pounds of food and $122 million in grants to hunger relief programs.
To participate in the Facebook campaign visit www.facebook.com/walmart. To learn more about the program, including details on the in-store effort and participating products, visit www.walmartstores.com/fightinghunger.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.
| State |
Communities Included |
| Alabama |
Mobile, AL Decatur, AL Tuscaloosa, AL Gadsden, AL Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL Montgomery, AL Birmingham-Hoover, AL Anniston-Oxford, AL |
| Arizona |
Prescott, AZ Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ Tucson, AZ Flagstaff, AZ Yuma, AZ |
| Arkansas |
Pine Bluff, AR Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
| California |
El Centro, CA Yuba City, CA Merced, CA Modesto, CA Stockton, CA Fresno, CA Visalia-Porterville, CA Hanford-Corcoran, CA Redding, CA Bakersfield-Delano, CA Madera-Chowchilla, CA Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (The Inland Empire) Chico, CA Salinas, CA Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA Vallejo-Fairfield, CA Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (The Bay Area) San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Napa, CA Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA |
| Colorado |
Grand Junction, CO Pueblo, CO Greeley, CO Colorado Springs, CO Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO |
| Connecticut |
Waterbury, CT Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT New Haven, CT Springfield, MA-CT Worcester, MA-CT |
| Delaware |
Philadelphia, PA Metro Area |
| Florida |
Palm Coast, FL Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL Ocala, FL Port St. Lucie, FL Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Punta Gorda, FL North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Naples-Marco Island, FL Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Jacksonville, FL Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL |
| Georgia |
Dalton, GA Albany, GA Rome, GA Macon, GA Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA Brunswick, GA Gainesville, GA Savannah, GA Columbus, GA-AL Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC |
| Idaho |
Coeur d'Alene, ID Boise City-Nampa, ID |
| Illinois
|
Rockford, IL Kankakee-Bradley, IL Danville, IL Decatur, IL Peoria, IL St. Louis, MO-IL Champaign-Urbana, IL Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI (Chicagoland, IL) |
| Indiana |
Elkhart-Goshen, IN Kokomo, IN Michigan City-La Porte, IN Anderson, IN Muncie, IN Terre Haute, IN Fort Wayne, IN Columbus, IN Indianapolis-Carmel, IN Lafayette, IN South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN |
| Kansas |
Kansas City, MO-KS |
| Kentucky
|
Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Elizabethtown, KY Bowling Green, KY Owensboro, KY |
| Maryland |
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Cumberland, MD-WV Salisbury, MD |
| Massachusetts |
New Bedford, MA Springfield, MA-CT Worcester, MA-CT Barnstable Town, MA Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA |
| Michigan |
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI Flint, MI Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI Jackson, MI Monroe, MI Niles-Benton Harbor, MI Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI Bay City, MI Holland-Grand Haven, MI Battle Creek, MI Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI Lansing-East Lansing, MI South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI |
| Mississippi |
Pascagoula, MS Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Hattiesburg, MS |
| Missouri |
St. Louis, MO-IL Kansas City, MO-KS |
| Nevada |
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Carson City, NV Reno-Sparks, NV |
| New Jersey
|
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Ocean City, NJ Philadelphia, PA New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA |
| New Mexico
|
Farmington, NM Albuquerque, NM |
| New York |
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA |
| North Carolina |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Rocky Mount, NC Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Burlington, NC Greensboro-High Point, NC Wilmington, NC Greenville, NC Winston-Salem, NC Fayetteville, NC Goldsboro, NC |
| Ohio |
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Mansfield, OH Canton-Massillon, OH Toledo, OH Dayton, OH Lima, OH Sandusky, OH Springfield, OH Akron, OH Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Wheeling, WV-OH Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH |
| Oregon |
Bend, OR Medford, OR Eugene-Springfield, OR Salem, OR Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
| Pennsylvania |
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (Lehigh Valley, PA) Reading, PA York-Hanover, PA Area Williamsport, PA Philadelphia, PA Johnstown, PA Erie, PA New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA |
| Rhode Island |
Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA |
| South Carolina
|
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC Sumter, SC Florence, SC Anderson, SC Spartanburg, SC Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Columbia, SC |
| Tennessee |
Morristown, TN Jackson, TN Cleveland, TN Johnson City, TN Memphis, TN-MS-AR Clarksville, TN-KY |
| Texas |
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX El Paso, TX |
| Utah |
St. George, UT |
| Virginia |
Danville, VA |
| Washington
|
Longview, WA Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA Yakima, WA Spokane, WA Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Greater Portland, OR-WA |
| West Virginia |
Cumberland, MD-WV Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Wheeling, WV-OH Steubenville-Weirton, WV-OH Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH |
| Wisconsin |
Janesville, WI Racine, WI Wausau, WI |
SOURCE Walmart
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