by Lindsey Neddenriep
Hunter Hayes lends his voice to hungry Missouri children
Did you watch the AMC Awards this week? Can I get a southern Missouri “heck yeah” for Hunter Hayes’ spotlight on child hunger? I grew up a country music fan, so I already hoot and holler for these musicians, but even more so when they’re advocating for our cause!
Allow me to catch you up-to-speed. Hunter Hayes is a four-time GRAMMY nominated artist and he’s just 22-years-old. I first saw him perform at a Carrie Underwood concert, but since then he’s had a great deal of success. This year, he’s partnering with ConAgra Foods’ Child Hunger Ends Here campaign to lend his voice to help spread awareness for child hunger. His song “Invisible” helps shed light on the 14 million children served by the Feeding America network, including more than 300,000 served by Missouri Food Bank Association food banks.
In his new hit single, Hayes sings, “Trust the one who’s been where you are, wish all it was, was sticks and stones. Those words cut deep but they don’t mean you’re all alone and you’re not invisible.”
While anyone who has ever felt alone could relate to these lyrics, the lines hit home for hungry kids and teens that often hide behind their secret. Their situation can be mortifying in many cases. We know this first-hand from our talks with struggling kiddos here in southwest Missouri.
Ozarks Food Harvest, the food bank I work for, has the unique opportunity to work with Hunter Hayes during his We’re Not Invisible tour. He performs at JQH Arena in Springfield tomorrow, Saturday, April 12—and we’re more than excited, because we’re one of just 10 Feeding America food banks nationwide that are partnering with the tour and Child Hunger Ends Here’s “Hope Grocery” project.
The “Hope Grocery” concept is this:
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1. Concert-goers “shop” from store shelves, choosing a ConAgra Foods or P&G product with the red push pin “Child Hunger Ends Here” label. (You’ve seen these on items like Healthy Choice!)
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2. The “shopper” then takes his or her selection to a check-out stand to enter the special code, which provides one meal to a child in need. It shows people how easy it is to help.
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3. And for playing along, participants have the chance to win meet & greet passes, ticket upgrades and signed swag. Yes, meet & greet as in meet Hunter Hayes! Are our supporters lucky or what?
We’re giving our friends even more chances to win by hosting a food and fund drive in the hours leading up to show. For every $5 or five nonperishable food items donated, donors receive a raffle ticket to win even more Hunter Hayes prizes.
But you don’t have to attend the concert to help provide free meals. Anyone can participate and here’s how:
- 1. Buy select products at a local retailer. (There are 42 participating ConAgra Foods and P&G brands!)
- 2. Look for the red push pin & locate the code found on these specially marked products.
- 3. Enter the 8-digit code at www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com or www.facebook.com/ChildHungerEndsHere now through August 2014.
And that’s it! ConAgra Foods and P&G will then donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to our network.
At Ozarks Food Harvest, we frequently explain that hunger can be an invisible problem. You might not always notice those in your community who are struggling. But the good news is, hunger is a solvable problem.
If you’ve been looking for a simple way to help be part of the solution, this is it. You don’t have to be a country music fanatic like me, but I sure recommend it.
—Lindsey Neddenriep is the Public Relations Manager at Ozarks Food Harvest in Springfield, Missouri. You can follow her at @ozksfoodharvest & @LindseythePRgal on Twitter and at Facebook.com/OzarksFoodHarvest.