SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 20, 2003–NFL heroes Jerome Bettis, Donovan McNabb, Michael Strahan and Brian Urlacher will team up with their mothers today to help Campbell’s Chunky soup make a million can soup donation to food banks across the country. The friendly competition between the mother/son duos will culminate this year’s successful Tackling Hunger program, which has generated a donation of more than six million cans of soup to food banks nationwide during the 2002-2003 NFL season.
In a Super Bowl Supermarket Showdown, Bettis, McNabb, Strahan and Urlacher will have 60 seconds to drive their mothers through a specially-created supermarket in shopping carts while collecting and stacking as many cans of Campbell’s Chunky soup as possible. After each duo takes to the aisles, the winning team will be awarded the Tackling Hunger MVP award and have a million cans of soup donated to food banks across the country on their behalf.
“This year was special for the Tackling Hunger team because we had the opportunity to work alongside our biggest fans — our moms — to help stock our food banks and raise the level of hunger awareness nationwide,” said McNabb, who has participated in Tackling Hunger for two consecutive seasons. “The cans donated through our supermarket showdown today, along with the 6 million total cans generated throughout the season, will go a long way to help tackle hunger in America.”
Hunger continues to be a very serious problem in the United States. According to the USDA, more than 33 million Americans do not always know where their next meal will come from, including 13 million children who are affected by hunger. Each year, America’s Second Harvest network of local hunger relief agencies distributes more than
1.4 billion pounds of donated food to more than 23 million hungry Americans.
Tackling Hunger 2002 Year-in-Review
As the Super Bowl celebrates a season of hard work in the NFL, it also caps off the season-long Tackling Hunger 2002 efforts. During the pre-season, Campbell weighed some of the “chunkiest” and “hungriest” linemen from across the NFL and donated 10 times their weight in soup to local food banks. Campbell also encouraged NFL fans to tackle hunger by participating in its Click For Cans(TM) on-line food drive at www.chunky.com. At the site, fans clicked on their favorite team’s helmet to donate one can of Campbell’s Chunky soup in that team’s name toward a goal of five million cans of soup for food banks nationwide. One of the most exciting highlights of Tackling Hunger 2002 was a new partnership with America’s Second Harvest, the largest network of hunger relief agencies in the United States, which has helped the campaign expand its reach and impact.
“We have had incredible success tackling hunger this season with our new teammate, America’s Second Harvest,” said Jeremy Fingerman, President – U.S. Soup. “Together, we believe that the Tackling Hunger program will grow stronger so that we can continue to make a difference in communities across America.”
Since establishing the Tackling Hunger program in 1997, Campbell Soup Company has donated over 32 million cans of soup to a variety of hunger relief charities across the country, in NFL cities and in many of the 30,000 communities of Campbell retail partners.
For more information on the Campbell’s Chunky/NFL Tackling Hunger program or to find a local America’s Second Harvest hunger relief agency, visit www.chunky.com. To learn more about America’s Second Harvest, visit www.secondharvest.org..
About Campbell Soup Company:
Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high quality soup, sauces, beverage, biscuits, confectionery and prepared food products. The company owns a portfolio of more than 20 market-leading businesses each with more than $100 million in sales. They include “Campbell’s” soups worldwide, “Erasco” soups in Germany and “Liebig” soups in France, “Pepperidge Farm” cookies and crackers, “V8” and “V8 Splash” juices, “Pace” Mexican sauces, “Prego” pasta sauces, “Franco- American” pastas and gravies, “Swanson” broths, “Homepride” sauces in the United Kingdom, “Arnott’s” biscuits in Australia and “Godiva” chocolates around the world. The company also owns dry soup and sauce businesses in Europe under the “Batchelors,” “Oxo,” “Lesieur,” “Royco,” “Liebig,” “Heisse Tasse,” “Bla Band” and “McDonnells” brands. The company is ably supported by 24,000 employees worldwide. For more information on the company, visit Campbell’s website on the Internet at www.campbellsoup.com.
America’s Second Harvest is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a national network of more than 200 regional food banks and food-rescue programs, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. It distributes 1.4 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. America’s Second Harvest’s network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, operating more than 94,000 food programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, Kids Cafes, Community Kitchens. These local organizations provide emergency food assistance to 23 million hungry Americans, including more than nine million children and almost three million seniors each year. For more information, visit the web site at www.secondharvest.org.