(CNW) MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Today, Walmart Canada launched "Fight Hunger. Spark Change.", a national fundraising campaign calling on Canadians to join the fight against hunger. The campaign, which runs from April 20 to May 10, hopes to raise enough funds to secure 5 million meals for Food Banks Canada and its network of more than 550 food banks. For more information about the campaign, visit http://www.walmart.ca/fighthunger.

Food Banks Canada's HungerCount 2016 study reported that more than 860,000 men, women and children use food banks each month. The growing need for food banks increases the pressure on them to acquire essential nutritious foods like produce, meat, dairy and non-perishable staples.

"We believe every Canadian family should have access to affordable, safe, nutritious, food," said Lee Tappenden, president and CEO of Walmart Canada. "Together with our vendor partners, customers, associates, and Food Banks Canada, we are committed to making a real difference in relieving hunger in the hundreds of communities in which we serve."

Four ways to join the fight against hunger

1. Purchase participating products - For every purchase (in-store and on walmart.ca) of select products from some of Canada's largest food companies, including Frito Lay, General Mills, Kellogg's, Kraft, Old Dutch Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, Quaker, and Unilever, participating vendors will donate  a portion of the proceeds to Food Banks Canada  - up to a maximum of $500,000.
2. Donate at the register - From April 20 to April 30, customers will also be asked to round up their purchase at the register to the nearest dollar. Funds donated will be matched by Walmart Canada – up to a maximum of $820,000.
3. Social sharing to raise awareness – From April 20 – May 10, share the hashtag #FightHungerSparkChange  or #LuttezContreLaFaim on Twitter and Facebook. For each share, Walmart will donate $1.00 – enough to secure 3 meals on behalf of Food Banks Canada or its local food bank partners – up to a maximum of $80,000 (or securing a maximum of 240,000 meals).  
4. Food donations – Stores will be accepting non-perishable food donations for local food banks. Donation bins can be found at the front of each store.

"We know that thousands of Canadian families struggling to put food on the table rely on the support of food banks across the country," said Katharine Schmidt, executive director of Food Banks Canada.  "We thank Walmart Canada for its ongoing support and encourage Canadians to rally behind their food bank organization by supporting this campaign."

Walmart's commitment to hunger relief
As one of Canada's top grocers, Walmart can impact the issue of hunger in Canada. The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign is part of Walmart's larger global commitment to provide meals to those in need.

Walmart stores have donated more than five million pounds of food to food banks across the country through the company's comprehensive food diversion program. This program pairs Walmart stores with a local food bank and ensures good food is donated to those who need it most. In addition to food donations, Walmart Canada has donated over $2.3 million since 2011 to Food Banks Canada and the Walmart Foundation has donated more than $4.6 million to build capacity in the food banking network, meaning more trucks, more refrigerators and more people to get this food to those who need it most.

Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart has raised and donated $275 million to Canadian charities. To learn more about Walmart's giving, visit walmartcanada.ca.

About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of 410 stores nationwide serving more than 1.2 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, walmart.ca, is visited by 600,000 customers daily. With more than 90,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Additional information can be found at facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/walmartcanada.

About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada supports a unique network of over 3,000 food-related organizations in every province and territory that assists more than 850,000 Canadians each month. Together our network shares over 200 million pounds of essential safe quality food annually, provides social programs that help to foster self-sufficiency, and advocates for policy change that will help create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Visit foodbankscanada.ca for more information.

SOURCE Walmart Canada

For further information: Felicia Fefer, Marketing Communications, Walmart Canada, Felicia.Fefer@wal-mart.com; Marzena Gersho, Director, Communications and National Programs, Food Banks Canada, 905-602-5234 x228 or 647-242-5919, marzena@foodbankscanada.ca

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