Free The Children and Campbell Canada team-up for We Scare Hunger

Halloween campaign hopes to raise 1 million lbs of food for Canadian communities in need

TORONTO, Oct. 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Free The Children, in partnership with Campbell Company of Canada, is excited to announce its campaign to take action on local hunger - We Scare Hunger. This Halloween, Free The Children and Campbell Canada hope to raise 1 million lbs of non-perishable food items for food banks across Canada, while also helping to raise awareness about local hunger-related issues.

We Scare Hunger is Free The Children's annual campaign to mobilize youth around local hunger issues. Every Halloween (October 31), thousands of young people take action to scare local hunger and poverty. By trick-or-treating for non-perishable food items instead of just candy, or collecting canned goods at school and in their community, they support local food banks and raise awareness about this very important issue.

"Last year alone, almost 300,000 youth participated in We Scare Hunger, donating more than 830,000 pounds of food to local food banks," said Marc Kielburger, founder, Free The Children. "This year, with support from Campbell Canada, and its strong commitment to help alleviate hunger, we hope to surpass last year's record, shining an even bigger spotlight on local hunger issues here in Canada."

Through this partnership, Campbell Canada's national hunger-awareness program, Help Hunger Disappear® will join forces with We Scare Hunger, helping to broaden the campaign to reach across Canada through in-store promotions and partnerships through such retailers as Longo's and Safeway. Free the Children has also created new We Scare Hunger resources and tools for families to further learn and be empowered to fight this important issue.

Free The Children's, We Scare Hunger (formerly Halloween for Hunger) is an annual campaign started by Dr. Jonathan White, a professor of sociology and political economy at Bridgewater State University, and was first adopted by Free The Children in October 2000.

"At Campbell Canada, we are committed to doing what we can as a food company to help alleviate hunger," said Philip Donne, president, Campbell Canada.  "With their unique ability to connect and mobilize young people against local and global issues like hunger, we are honoured to have the opportunity to partner with Free the Children on their We Scare Hunger campaign."

According to Food Banks Canada 2011 HungerCount Report, 94,000 people each month access a food bank for the first time and 38 percent of those turning to food banks are children and youth.

For more information and to sign-up, visit www.freethechildren.com/wescarehunger.

About Free The Children
Free The Children is an international charity and educational partner that has more than 1.7 million young people involved in its programs in 45 countries. Founded in 1995 by international activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children believes in a world where young people are free to achieve their fullest potential, and empowers youth to remove barriers that prevent them from being active local and global citizens. The organization's domestic programs—which includes We Day, Free The Children's signature youth empowerment event—educate, engage and empower hundreds of thousands of youth in North America, the UK and around the world to become engaged global citizens. Its international projects have brought more than 650 schools and school rooms to youth and provided clean water and sanitation, health care and food security to one million people around the world, freeing children and their families from the cycle of poverty.

The organization has received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children's Nobel Prize), the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful partnerships with leading school boards and Oprah's Angel Network. For more information, visit www.freethechildren.com.

About Campbell Company of Canada

Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup and sauces, baked snacks and healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including "Campbell's," "Pepperidge Farm," "Arnott's" and "V8." With a soup plant located in Toronto, ON, Campbell Company of Canada is a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company. Through its corporate social responsibility program, the company strives to make a positive impact in the workplace, in the marketplace and in the communities in which it operates. Campbell is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. For more information, visit www.campbellsoup.ca.

SOURCE: Campbell Company of Canada

Laura Patton
Weber Shandwick for Campbell Canada
[email protected] or  416-642-7910

Tamara Kaftalovich
PR Director, Free The Children
416-925-5894 ext. 805
[email protected]