#TBT To Share Forward: Unilever Campaign Taps Into Social Throwback Trend To Share A Meal With Those In Need

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Nov. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, Unilever is tapping into the major cultural trend – Throwback Thursday, or #TBT – to raise awareness of child hunger and help end an issue that affects one in six children in the United States. Many Americans have positive memories of sharing a meal with family or friends over the years, and Unilever is encouraging everyone to use these memories for good to help provide another family with a similar opportunity. In partnership with Feeding America® the company will be donating one million meals to help families in need, and rallying Americans to help share one million more through simple actions – including tagging this week's #TBT with #ShareAMeal.

"As a global company, Unilever has the ability to reach and positively affect millions of people around the world. By taking steps to sustainably source raw materials, raise awareness about hunger and healthy living and provide higher nutritional standards, we are helping to build a brighter future for tomorrow," said Lauren Harper, Director Sustainable Living and Unilever Brand, Unilever USA. "But solving hunger isn't something we can do on our own. That's why, through programs like #ShareAMeal, Unilever calls on consumers to take one small action to make a larger impact that can be felt around the country."   

Calling on Consumers to Help Share One Million More Meals
Through this campaign, Unilever is providing easy and engaging ways for consumers to help eradicate child hunger – whether it be by joining the conversation online, sharing a meal with others while ordering in through the on-demand food delivery service, Postmates, or simply purchasing Unilever products in-store and online – and for every action taken, Unilever will donate one meal* to Feeding America.

Beginning the week of November 14, people can help Unilever share one million meals by:

• Posting a dinner table throwback tagged #ShareAMeal, engaging with the hashtag #ShareAMeal online, or by participating in the Unilever #ShareAMeal challenge on Flipagram. For each action taken, Unilever will donate one meal.
• Spreading the word when ordering through the on-demand delivery service Postmates – by sharing on social with #ShareAMeal individuals will have the chance to provide a meal to others while they order theirs.
• Purchasing a participating Unilever product with the coupon delivered in the November 6 Sunday paper and for every coupon claimed, Unilever will donate one meal.

To help inspire consumers as they share their own #TBT and #ShareAMeal social posts, Unilever is enlisting a troupe of well-known voices to participate in the campaign, with actress Ashley Benson at the helm.

"Some of my favorite childhood memories are from around the dinner table, but unfortunately that's not the case for all kids," says Ashley Benson. "By encouraging people to share their own happy times using #ShareAMeal – and in turn, trigger the donation of one meal – we hope to provide those in need the opportunity to create their own joyful memories this holiday season."

Aligning with Unilever's Broader Commitment to Achieve Zero Hunger
The #ShareAMeal program is part of the Unilever brightFuture initiative in support of the company's purpose-driven business model, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP). As part of the USLP, Unilever has committed to working alongside the United Nations to achieve Zero Hunger – one of their Sustainable Development Goals.

In addition to #ShareAMeal, some ways Unilever is taking steps toward this goal include:

• Committing to source all agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020. As one of the largest purchasers of crops such as tea, palm oil and vegetables, they have a significant role to play and already reached 60% of this goal by 2015. Once achieved, this will help ensure the world's food supply for the future.
• Providing education and access to healthy eating and living through Growing Roots, a program that seeks to make positive change in urban areas across the United States.
• Committing to double the proportion of their food portfolio that meets the highest nutritional standards by 2020 based on globally recognized dietary guidelines. This will help hundreds of millions of people to achieve a healthier diet.
• With an ongoing partnership with Feeding America®, through which Unilever has shared more than 45 million meals** with those in need over the past five years.

To learn more about Unilever's efforts to combat hunger in the United States and how you can take action to end child hunger, visit brightfuture.unilever.us. 

*From 11/6/16 through 11/27/16, Unilever will donate $.09 (monetary equivalent of 1 meal) to Feeding America® for each qualifying coupon redemption or use of #ShareAMeal. Unilever guarantees a minimum donation of $25,000 and a maximum donation of $50,000 for coupon redemption and a minimum of $75,000 and a maximum of $150,000 for #ShareAMeal activation. $1.00 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks. Meal cost calculation valid as of 7/1/16 and subject to change.

**45 million meal equivalent calculation includes product and financial donations made by Unilever during 2010-2015. Total pounds donated between 2010–2015/1.2 pounds (USDA). Total financial donations using the following calculations: 2010: $1=7 meals; 2011–2013: $1=8 meals; 2014: $1=9 meals; 2015: $1=10 meals.

About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home Care, Personal Care and Refreshment products with sales in more than 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Country Crock, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Fruttare, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Simple, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TIGI, TONI&GUY, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Unilever employs approximately 8,000 people in the United States – generating more than $8.5 billion in sales in 2015.

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan commits to:

• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
• Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

Unilever ranked number one in its sector on the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com
To connect with Unilever U.S. via Facebook visit: www.facebook.com/unileverusa
To connect with Unilever U.S. via Twitter follow: @unileverusa

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 Postmates
Postmates is the leading on­-demand logistics provider. With about 40,000 active Postmates, the company operates the largest on-demand delivery fleet in 44 major metropolitan markets in the US. Postmates' overall mission is to power local, on­-demand logistics focused on fast deliveries from any type of merchant at scale. Founded in 2011 by Bastian Lehmann, Sean Plaice and Sam Street, Postmates completes 1.5M deliveries per month. For more information, please visit https://postmates.com/.

About Flipagram
Everyone has stories worth telling. Flipagram's mission is to give everyone the power to create and share amazing immersive video stories with music that can inspire, entertain and inform.  Flipagrams (Flips) are easy to create, fun to consume and by allowing photos, videos and music to tell the story, Flips transcend language, giving people all over the world the ability to share their own stories and to have a powerful voice. With tens of millions of users monthly worldwide and growing, Flipagram is a go-to platform for musical artists, influencers, brands and millions of ordinary people looking to tell stories in an authentic way that resonates and inspires action. Flipagram is fully licensed to allow music use in its videos via agreements with top record companies including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music, Merlin and The Orchard—and music publishers, including Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG, Warner/Chappell, and the NMPA. Flipagram is available on iOS, Android, Amazon and Windows platforms. 

Media Contacts

Unilever
Phone: 201.894.7760
[email protected]  

Katelin Koebbe
212.445.8301
[email protected]

SOURCE Unilever