LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) - While shopping at Walmart or Sam’s Club, you can help those struggling with hunger in our area. The Walmart and Sam’s Club “Fight Hunger, Spark Change” campaign has returned. The annual program supports the West Ohio Food Bank’s hunger relief efforts.
The Walmart and Sam’s Club “Fight Hunger, Spark Change” campaign has returned.
This is the 12th year for the campaign, during which people can donate at Walmart or Sam’s Club stores or round up online purchases at Walmart.com or through the Walmart app. Additionally, when shoppers purchase products from participating suppliers such as General Mills and Kraft, a portion of those sales will go to Feeding America.
The campaign runs throughout the month of March. Last year, nearly 64,000 people in the West Ohio Food Bank’s 11-county region received food assistance. This campaign helps the nonprofit agency secure the food needed to fight hunger in our area.
MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE WEST OHIO FOOD BANK
[Lima, OH,] – For the 12th straight year, all U.S. Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations are launching the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, including the West Ohio Food Bank’s coverage area of 11 counties in west-central Ohio.
The goal of the annual cause marketing campaign is to provide people facing hunger with access to the food and resources they say they need to thrive. Here’s how it works:
The campaign will run in stores and online from March 1-March 31, with three ways for shoppers to participate:
- By donating at check-out in stores or clubs or round up at Walmart.com and the Walmart app.
- By purchasing participating products* in-store or online at Walmart.com or SamsClub.com. For every purchase of a participating product, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent** of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America partner food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details.
- By donating at Feeding America’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign donation site at either www.feedingamerica.org/walmart or www.feedingamerica.org/samsclub
Since its inception in 2014, the campaign has generated more than $206 million and helped secure 2 billion meals* for the Feeding America® network of local food banks.
“We have a network of partner agencies and community organizations, along with direct service distributions that we rely on to get food onto the tables of individuals and families facing food insecurity. More than once, we have had individuals come through our food lines to tell us that they were once donors but now they need assistance from us. They are living on fixed budgets and/or paycheck to paycheck, and with the high costs of groceries, utilities, medications and other expenses, they just don’t have enough left over to purchase food. In 2024, 63,628 individuals received food from West Ohio Food Bank and its’ partners. Out of this total, 39,286 were new to needing food assistance. Campaigns like Feeding America’s Fight Hunger, Spark Change provide funding to help our food bank continue meeting the increased demand we see each month. We are so thankful for Feeding America and the many companies who work together to fight hunger and ensure our hungry neighbors have food to eat,” said Tommie Harner, CEO, West Ohio Food Bank
Everyone needs nutritious food to thrive, and in every community in America, people are working hard to provide for themselves and their families. Yet in 2023, 47.4 million people—1 in 7 people—experienced food insecurity in the U.S.
Those are the highest numbers in a decade, underscoring the need for more charitable food assistance in west-central Ohio and beyond.
“For the past 20 years, Feeding America, Walmart and Sam’s Club have worked together to fight hunger and help people live better in the communities we serve,” said Julie Gehrki, president, Walmart Foundation and senior vice president, philanthropy at Walmart. “During the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, we invite our customers and members to join us in providing access to food for our neighbors by supporting West Ohio Food Bank.”
The 24 participating suppliers for Walmart include: B&G Foods, Inc., Bush Brothers & Company, Celsius, The CocaCola Company, Conagra Foods, Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, Ferrero USA, General Mills, Hershey Salty Snacks, Kellanova, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Kodiak, Kraft Heinz, Lipton Tea, Ben’s Original, Materne, Mondelez International, Olipop, Pepsi-Cola Advertising & Marketing, Inc., Hidden Valley Original Ranch, The Hain Celestial Group, WK Kellogg Co, Unilever and Utz Quality Foods
The six participating suppliers for Sam’s Club include: Kellanova, Kodiak, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Nestlé and Unilever
For more information, visit: feedingamerica.org/campaigns/fight-hunger-spark-change
*Currently, $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local partner food banks.
** For every purchase of a participating product, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America partner food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details.
