ConAgra Foods Seeks To Empower The Nation To Fight Child Hunger In America With Code Entry Program And Stories Of Real "Hunger Heroes"

OMAHA, Neb., March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- More than one in five children¹ and more than one in four Latino children¹ in the United States - a number that could fill nearly 8,000 playgrounds - may not know where their next meal is coming from. ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG) aims to empower a community of people to help change the realities of child hunger one meal at a time by helping to donate up to three million meals in 2015 through the Child Hunger Ends Here program. Look for the red pushpin and locate the code found on specially marked ConAgra Foods products, like Banquet® and Hunt's®, and as well as other brands such as KING'S HAWAIIAN® bread at your favorite retailer or in your pantry. For each eight-digit code entered at www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com from March 2015 through January 2016, ConAgra Foods' Child Hunger Ends Here will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America³, the leading domestic hunger-relief organization.

Hunger is not always visible, which heightens the importance of understanding the food insecurity rates. People living in all 50 states are affected by food insecurity, and kids are more at risk than the general population in almost every county² in the United States. In addition to providing a simple way for people to make a difference, Child Hunger Ends Here has enlisted passionate bloggers and photographers as ambassadors to uncover the stories of local "hunger heroes" across the country who are helping lead the way to end child hunger in the U.S.  Follow these stories on Facebook and with the hashtag #FacesBehindHunger on Instagram or by going to www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com for updates. From March through August, Child Hunger Ends Here will also provide ten $10,000 donations to Feeding America food banks in select areas where these stories are uncovered.

"When something like child hunger impacts a country like this and feels too big to address, it's vital to remind people that they can have a huge hand in making a difference. By uncovering some of the incredible stories of people who are out there making a difference for kids with the resources they have, we hope our program helps families at home feel empowered and to make fighting child hunger an easy part of their everyday routines," says Joan Chow, ConAgra Foods Chief Marketing Officer. "Child Hunger Ends Here makes taking action that simple – one code at a time."

One Code Feeds One More

Everyone can easily participate by going to their favorite retailer and looking for the red pushpin and code on specially-marked packages of 22 select ConAgra Foods brands including Banquet, Chef Boyardee®, Healthy Choice®, Manwich®, and KING'S HAWAIIAN breads, then visiting www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com to enter the eight-digit code found on the package. For each code entered, the monetary equivalent of one meal³ will be donated to Feeding America. People can trigger an additional donation made by ConAgra Foods simply by logging into their Facebook account on the website and inviting their friends and family on Facebook to join the cause. Codes can be entered and donations from Facebook connections can be made through January 2016.  After entering a code, people can also enter their zip code to learn more about how their state is impacted by child hunger.

"For more than 20 years, ConAgra Foods has provided funds, expertise and food to fight child hunger. While strides have been taken, child hunger continues to be a problem across America. The Child Hunger Ends Here program was created in 2010 to help raise awareness of this serious issue and empower consumers to get involved in a simple way – one code equals one meal to Feeding America," says Gary Rodkin, CEO of ConAgra Foods. "By sharing hopeful stories and equipping consumers with the resources they need to take action, we hope to continue the momentum we started to help end child hunger in the U.S."

Since 1993, through partnerships with Feeding America, ConAgra Foods and ConAgra Foods Foundation have provided more than 325 million pounds of food and invested more than $37 million in capacity building, child hunger programs and groundbreaking research. The Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity primarily funded by the company, has a $10 million, three-year commitment to Feeding America, the largest donation ever made to the organization specifically to fight child hunger.

For more information, visit www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com. You can also follow the discussion at Facebook.com/ChildHungerEndsHere, or follow along on Twitter and Instagram at @ChildHungerEnds and with the hashtag #FacesBehindHunger.

About ConAgra Foods

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies with branded and private branded food found in 99 percent of America's households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Consumers can find recognized brands such as Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Healthy Choice®, Hunt's®, Marie Callender's®,  PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food sold by ConAgra Foods under private brand labels, in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. Additionally, ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to commercial and foodservice customers. ConAgra Foods operates ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides consumers with easy dinner recipes and more. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

About ConAgra Foods Foundation

The ConAgra Foods Foundation, through its Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform, is dedicated to raising awareness of the nearly 16 million children in America who are at risk of hunger and live in food insecure homes where they may not have enough food to live active, healthful lives. It aggressively pursues sustainable solutions in the fight against child hunger. In addition, the Foundation is committed to building a community of people who are passionate about ensuring that all kids have access to the food and facts they need to eat nutritiously while living balanced lifestyles and succeeding in school and life. ConAgra Foods Foundation invests in national and local partnerships with high-impact, not-for-profit organizations, such as Feeding America and 4H that take an innovative approach to addressing needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.conagrafoods.com or www.facebook.com/conagrafoods The ConAgra Foods Foundation is primarily funded by ConAgra Foods.

About Feeding America

Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate.  Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

About KING'S HAWAIIAN

Founded more than 60 years ago in Hilo, Hawaii, by Robert R. Taira, KING'S HAWAIIAN is a family-owned business that for three generations has been dedicated to making irresistible, original recipe Hawaiian foods made with Aloha Spirit. A priority for the company is sharing the Hawaiian Way – a uniquely Hawaiian approach to hospitality based on graciousness, generosity, and a commitment to making everyone feel a part of the KING'S HAWAIIAN 'ohana' (extended family). KING'S HAWAIIAN makes the No. 1 branded dinner roll in the United States, and operates baking facilities in Torrance, California, and Oakwood, Georgia. For more information visit the company's website at www.KingsHawaiian.com, "Like" King's Hawaiian on Facebook and Follow King's Hawaiian on Twitter.

¹ USDA Household Food Security in the U.S. 2013, (Sept. 2014)
² Feeding America Map the Meal Gap 2014 (April 2014); analysis based on USDA ERS Household Food Security in the U.S. in 2012 report
³ For every ConAgra Foods code entered, ConAgra Foods will donate 10¢, the cost for Feeding America to provide one meal through its network of local food banks. ConAgra Foods will donate up to 3 million meals with a guaranteed minimum donation of 1.5 million meals ($150,000). Limit 5 code entries per person/computer each day. See ChildHungerEndsHere.com for complete details and a list of participating brands. Valid in U.S. and Puerto Rico only. © ConAgra Foods, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SOURCE ConAgra Foods, Inc.

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