Project Sunlight is Turning the Table on Child Hunger
Promotional item received. All opinions are my own.
Child hunger, often perceived to be a world-away issue, is now an all too common reality facing millions of America’s most vulnerable. As incredible as it seems for many living in the land of plenty, an estimated 16 million children under 18 years old live in “food insecure” households which means they don’t know where – or when – their next meal will be.
That’s one in five children in America that will go hungry this holiday season, and no zip code is exempt to this nationwide problem – one of these kids could be your neighbor or even your child’s best friend. That is just unbearable to me to think of any child being hungry.
Unilever Project Sunlight is an initiative focused on encouraging people to create a brighter future for children – by taking small steps to live sustainably, use less and share even more. Award-winning filmmaker and Unilever Bright Future Award recipient, Patrick Creadon, teamed up with Unilever to create a heart-wrenching and inspiring look at how Americans are grappling with child hunger in a four-minute documentary, “Going to Bed Hungry: The Changing Face of Child Hunger.” These are average people like you and me except they often struggle to put food on the table. It’s worth a watch.
To help fight the issue of child hunger in the U.S., Unilever has partnered with the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization, Feeding America, which serves 12 million children each year.
Not only are they asking us to help… but they in turn are going to help as well. There is going to be a coupon in the November 16, 2014 newspaper for the Unilever “You Buy One, We Give One” campaign. All you have to do is use the coupon when purchasing Unilever… and they will donate one meal to Feeding America!
With the help of Feeding America’s vast network of 200 food banks nationwide, Unilever has been able to contribute nearly 30 million meals to families and children over the past five years which includes more than 13 million pounds of food and more than $3 million in support.
There are really so many ways you can help.
- Help a Family in Your Neighborhood: Simply sharing a meal with a neighbor either in the form of a simple lunch or dinner party, or even packing an extra lunch for your child to take to school, could go a long way.
- Partner with Local Organizations: Local community organizations are great resources for sharing a meal in your area – simply tap into their networks to see how you can help.
- Coordinate with Your Local Food Bank: Whether you wish to volunteer or host your own local food drive, use Feeding America’s online Food Bank Locator tool to get in touch with a food bank in your area.
- Host a Virtual Food Drive: Feeding America’s Personal Fundraiser tool is a great place to start and to reach out to friends, family, and colleagues for contributions.
- Donate: Consider swapping a night out with a night in and share those extra savings with children and families in need in the form of a donation to Feeding America.
- You Buy One, We Give One: Look for the Unilever “You Buy One, We Give One” coupon offer in the Sunday paper on November 16. Redeem at participating stores from November 16 – 30 and Unilever will donate one meal* to Feeding America when you purchase any participating Unilever product.
- Lend Your Voice: Inspire others by revealing why you’re helping to end child hunger on social media using, “I #ShareAMeal because…”
When I was in the classroom (3rd grade teacher) I would make it a point to have several snacks in my closet “just in case” someone came to school hungry. A hungry child is not one that is ready and able to learn well. Consider sending an occasion healthy snack food your child’s teacher could store for such occasions.
Unilever Project Sunlight and Feeding America are working to rally as many people as possible to #ShareAMeal. Each time you do, you’ll be helping a family in need and helping us all take another step towards ending child hunger.
Read more and find out how you can help by visiting http://projectsunlight.us/shareameal!
Our family is in the process of gathering a box for a local food bank.
It’s hard to believe there is hunger in this country, but unfortunately it’s true! This sounds like a great program. Thanks for sharing!
It is so sad that any child has to go hungry. I love that Unilever is giving back. I will make sure to redeem all the coupons I can. It such an easy way to give back. Thanks for sharing this important info.
A great program and I hope everyone takes the time to get involved in someway, love this post since it is spreading awareness. Donating food is always a great way to give back and help the ones who do not have a meal.
We recently donated items from our pantry to our local food bank. We are so blessed to have more than enough and I like to do what I can to help those that are less fortunate.