SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today during a Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl press conference, Kraft Foods announced they have exceeded the donation goal for Huddle to Fight Hunger - the largest branded hunger relief campaign in company history. Kraft Foods plans to announce the donation of the monetary equivalent of more than 20 million meals to Feeding America during the inaugural Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Sunday.
To help reach - and exceed - the ambitious donation goal, Kraft Foods huddled its iconic brands and more than 60 retail partners during the football season. On top of that, millions of generous Americans got in the game, making plays online and in their communities to generate meal donations.
A few of the plays that generated meal donations included joining a virtual huddle at http://www.huddletofighthunger.com/, "liking" the Kraft Foods Facebook page, mobile texting, redeeming branded coupons and completing more than 220,000 "passes" via a unique social application. Kraft Foods' retail partners featured special Huddle to Fight Hunger branded in-store displays, as well as contributing meals to the overall donation.
"To tackle an issue as serious as hunger - which affects 50 million Americans - we created the largest multi-brand campaign in Kraft Foods history," said Stephen Chriss, Senior Director, Corporate Scale & Marketing Partnerships, Kraft Foods North America. "Our Huddle to Fight Hunger game plan is a winner on all fronts. We're going to deliver much needed meals for our neighbors in need. We helped raise awareness about a serious social issue affecting one in six Americans. And we created a campaign with multiple touch points that put several of our iconic brands on the forefront during the football season."
The Kraft Foods' brands that played key roles in the Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign included Kraft Macaroni & Cheese dinners, Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, Planters nuts, Oscar Mayer meats, Maxwell House coffee, Kool-Aid beverages, Kraft cheese, Kraft Singles, Miracle Whip and Kraft Mayo. Many brands even implemented their own campaigns to generate additional meals for Feeding America.
The Only College Bowl Game Focused on Fighting Hunger
The first-ever Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl celebrates the culmination of the Huddle To Fight Hunger campaign and is the only bowl game focused raising money and awareness about the issue of hunger in the United States. The game, which will be broadcast live on ESPN, features the University of Nevada and Boston College and will kick-off at 6pm PT / 9pm ET at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
"Our investment in college football provides us with a big stage to shine the spotlight on the issue of hunger," added Chriss. "It's a great opportunity to celebrate the success of the Huddle to Fight Hunger program. It is also a strong platform to drive visibility for the priority brands that were instrumental in making our campaign a success."
To further support the mission of the bowl, organizers are donating a meal for every ticket sold, as well as in the name of every player that is participating in the game. Players and coaches from the University of Nevada and Boston College also plan to volunteer at Bay Area food pantries on Saturday.
"The Huddle to Fight Hunger has been an amazing and unprecedented campaign that has brought even greater awareness of hunger that affects all communities from coast to coast," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. "We are thankful to Kraft Foods, the University of Nevada, Boston College and their fans for supporting our important work of addressing hunger in the United States."
For more information about the Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign or the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, visit http://www.huddletofighthunger.com/.
About Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods is taking a stand when it comes to fighting hunger and promoting healthy lifestyles. The company and the Kraft Foods Foundation have donated more than $1 billion in cash and food to organizations since 1990. Most recently, the company reinforced its commitment by donating $180 million over a three-year period to community involvement activities around the globe.
Kraft Foods is building a global snacks powerhouse and an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. With annual revenues of approximately $48 billion, the company is the world's second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in approximately 170 countries. The portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion - Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Approximately 70 brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. Kraft Foods (http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com/; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.
About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.
Kraft Foods
CONTACT: Valerie Moens of Kraft Foods, +1-847-646-4538, news@kraft.com;
or Caroline Lainio, +1-312-988-2410, clainio@webershandwick.com, for Kraft
Foods
Web Site: http://feedingamerica.org/
http://www.huddletofighthunger.com/
http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com/
