Quaker Donates Two Million Bowls of Oatmeal to Help Hungry Canadians
PepsiCo’s Quaker brand announced that it will donate two million bowls of oatmeal in 2011 to feed Canadians in need. Food Banks Canada will receive the donation from Quaker.
The donation comes as a direct result from Quaker’s Unlock Amazing program, whose ambassador is Olympic Champion Alexandre Bilodeau, promoted by Quaker’s social media outlets. The program asked Canadians to “like” Quaker on Facebook and help Unlock Amazing by creating virtual breakfast bowls. If 25,000 virtual bowls were created, Quaker promised to double their 2011 Food Banks Canada donation, which was currently at one million bowls of oatmeal, to two million bowls.
“The Quaker brand is happy to support Food Banks Canada and the services it provides through our unique Unlock Amazing program. We are extremely proud to make this announcement on behalf of the Quaker brand and commit to making a donation of two million bowls of oatmeal to Food Banks Canada locations across the country this year,” said Kathryn Matheson, Vice President, Marketing Quaker Foods and PepsiCo Foods Innovation at PepsiCo Foods Canada.
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“While our final tally of bowls made online was approximately 90 per cent of our goal, we consider our efforts to be a great success on many levels,” Matheson continued. “It has provided us an opportunity to contribute to this important cause and has allowed our online consumers to engage in the program as well. The response from our Facebook friends to the program and to our partnership with Food Banks Canada has been absolutely incredible, and it confirms that reducing hunger is an important issue to solve for us all.”
Food Banks Canada was chosen by Quaker as a partner because of its belief in a nutricious breakfast. The Unlock Amazing program was created to promote that belief and help Canadians in need gain access to it.
Food Banks Canada has a need for increased support of food banks in Canada. Providing food and assistance more than 700,000 Canadians each month for almost a decade, food banks are a cricital emergency food source for Canadians down on their luck. Additionally, in light of recent economic hardships, food bank use in Canada has risen by 28 per cent over the past two years. 38 per cent of food bank users are children and youth, Canadians that clearly have a need for a nutritious breakfast.
“Programs like the Quaker brand’s Unlock Amazing initiative help us provide the much needed support required to address hunger in Canada,” said Schmidt. “It engaged Canadians with this issue in a fun and meaningful way. We appreciate Quaker’s ongoing commitment to Food Banks Canada and to helping provide nutritious breakfasts to Canadians in need,” said Food Banks Canada Executive Director Katherine Schmidt.