Aguilera Urges People to Help the Nearly 1 Billion Hungry Worldwide;
Visit
FromHungertoHope.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), the world’s largest restaurant company and
parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, announced today the launch of
its annual World Hunger Relief effort featuring multi-Grammy Award
winner and international superstar Christina Aguilera in a new public
service announcement. According to the United Nations, there are nearly
1 billion people around the world who are hungry today.
Yum! Brands, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell launch annual World Hunger Relief effort with global spokesperson Christina Aguilera lending her powerful voice in new PSA to benefit United Nations World Food Programme and other hunger relief agencies. Nearly 1 billion people are going hungry and Aguilera is raising awareness as global spokesperson for Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief. Visit FromHungertoHope.com to learn more. (Photo: Business Wire)
World Hunger Relief is the world’s largest private sector hunger relief
effort, spanning 110 countries, 38,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell
restaurants and more than 1 million employees and franchise associates.
The campaign raises awareness, volunteerism and funds for WFP and other
hunger relief agencies.
The new PSA captures Aguilera standing on a dark stage that is
artistically illuminated by sparkling lights held by children. As
Aguilera sings a soulful a capella rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle,
Little Star, graphics illustrate how millions of children go to bed
hungry. She urges people to join her in turning hunger into hope.
The PSA will start airing in mid-October. Aguilera will also appear in
World Hunger Relief restaurant posters with the quote “Together, we have
the power to save lives and go from hunger to hope” and online efforts,
including the campaign’s website, FromHungertoHope.com.
Aguilera has served as global spokesperson for World Hunger Relief since
2009. She also serves as an “Ambassador Against Hunger” for WFP where
she has traveled on relief trips with the organization to Haiti and
Guatemala.
“As a mother, I can’t accept that children around the globe are going
hungry and that’s why I’m so passionate about this issue,” said
Aguilera. “My new PSA for World Hunger Relief is a twist on a classic
lullaby but also a reminder that every night, millions of children go to
sleep hungry. It gives those children a voice and shows how together, we
can give every child a chance to dream,” added Aguilera.
“With nearly 1 billion people going hungry around the world, as well as
the desperate situation in the Horn of Africa, we all need to help find
a solution to this critical issue,” said David Novak, Chairman and CEO,
Yum! Brands, Inc. “We are thankful for Christina’s efforts to help us
build awareness, inspire volunteerism and raise money to fight hunger.
As a company with a huge heart, we believe it is our privilege and
responsibility to do everything we can to make a difference and save
lives.”
Hunger and malnutrition are the number one risk to health worldwide –
greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Among the key
causes of hunger are natural disasters, conflict, poverty, poor
agricultural infrastructure and over-exploitation of the environment.
Recently, financial and economic crises, coupled with drought, high food
prices and conflict affecting more than 13 million in the Horn of
Africa, have pushed more people into hunger. Yum! is directing the first
$1 million from its World Hunger Relief effort this year to help WFP
provide food to families affected by hunger and suffering the effects of
drought in the Horn of Africa. Novak and other senior executives and
franchise leaders from KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Yum! Restaurants
International also traveled to Honduras last month to help WFP’s relief
efforts in the country.
“The world hunger relief campaign provides life-saving food and
nutrition to millions of children, transforming desperation to hope,”
said Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of WFP. “This support enables
school meal programs in the world’s most food-insecure areas, helping
ensure children are not only being nourished, but can attend school,
helping break the cycle of hunger and poverty.”
Consumers can visit FromHungertoHope.com
or donate in the restaurants (no purchase necessary – see calendar below
for dates that each brand’s participating restaurants begin their
in–store campaign). Every U.S. dollar raised will go directly towards
WFP’s operations to fight hunger around the world. One U.S. dollar
provides four meals for hungry children at school.
Yum! plans to generate the equivalent of nearly $50 million in awareness
of the hunger issue through a PSA, advertising, public relations,
web–based communications and in–restaurant posters. The Company’s
employees and franchisees will be volunteering their time around the
globe at hunger relief agencies, food banks, soup kitchens and launching
fundraisers.
Since World Hunger Relief launched in 2007, more than one million of the
Company’s employees, franchisees and their families have volunteered
more than 21 million hours to aid hunger relief efforts in communities
worldwide. The effort has raised nearly $85 million for WFP and other
hunger relief organizations and is helping to provide more than 350
million meals and save the lives of millions of people in remote corners
of the world.
Yum! is also addressing hunger across the U.S. through its Harvest
program. Since its launch over two decades ago, Harvest has become the
largest prepared-food donation program in the world. Through Harvest,
Yum! has donated over 125 million pounds of food, with a value of over
$500 million, to those at risk of hunger in the U.S. The Company also
has been the primary sponsor of the Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville
for nine years, and has donated nearly $9 million to this local agency.
Campaign Calendar: World Hunger Relief kicks off its fall campaign in
the U.S. with Pizza Hut on September 25, Taco Bell on October 6 and KFC
on October 17.
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., is the world’s
largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with
approximately 38,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries and
territories. The company is ranked #214 on the Fortune 500 List, with
revenues of more than $11 billion in 2010. Four of the company’s
restaurant brands - KFC, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and Taco Bell -
are the global leaders of the chicken, quick-service seafood, pizza and
Mexican-style food categories. A&W Restaurants is the longest running
quick-service franchise chain in America. Outside the United States, the
Yum! Brands system opened approximately four new restaurants each day of
the year, making it a leader in international retail development. The
company has consistently been recognized for its reward and recognition
culture, diversity leadership, community giving, and consistent
shareholder returns.
WFP is the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more
than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.wfp.org.
B-roll available: Sept. 23: 10:00-10:15 a.m. ET, 2:00-2:15 p.m. ET
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Yum! Brands, Inc.
Virginia Ferguson, 502-874-8200
[email protected]
or
Weber
Shandwick
Dana Metz, 312-988-2378
[email protected]
Source: Yum! Brands, Inc.