Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, and the DreamWorks Pictures movie The Help, are joining forces this holiday season to help feed Americans facing hunger. Coinciding with the DVD/Blu-ray release of The Help on December 6, a national donation campaign will run from December 1 to December 11 to generate food and funding to help feed the 1 in 6 people in the United States who do not have enough to eat.

“The economic downturn really hurt American families,” said Feeding America Director of Media Relations Ross Fraser. “As a nation, we need to come together to help our neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet. The collaboration between Feeding America and the producers of The Help is a great example of how we can come together to make a difference.”

“The film’s hopeful message of creating change along with its home entertainment release during the holidays inspired the team here to reach out and help make a difference in people’s lives,” noted Jeff Small, President and Chief Operating Officer of DreamWorks Studios.

“Feeding America seemed the perfect fit in that it operates nationally but is focused locally and housed within the communities it serves and will directly benefit those in need. We’re happy The Help can help.” To help put food in the hands of as many people/families in need this holiday season, Feeding America/ The Help are asking consumers to please help contribute in one of the following ways.

It’s this simple:

• Donate Online - Every $1.00 donated can help Feeding America provide meals eight meals for people in need. People who make online donations at www.feedingamerica.org/thehelp between December 1 and 11 will receive a limited-time $5.00 off coupon toward the purchase of the film The Helpon Blu-ray or DVD.Touchstone Pictures, the affiliate of The Walt Disney Company that distributed The Help, will provide a matching donation of up to $10,000, with a goal of providing more than 200,000 meals to families at risk of hunger.

• Get Social – Throughout the month of December, Facebook and Twitter fans of The Help will be encouraged to take action in their local communities. The Help Facebook and Twitter accounts will post details about how people can get involved and ask fans to provide feedback and talk about their local community efforts/contributions.

• Drop Off Food – Feeding America/The Help themed food donation boxes will be positioned at local community events in Manhattan, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas and Atlanta throughout December. The food collected will be distributed the local Feeding America food bank. Please consider donating foods that are most frequently requested, such as cereal, pasta, rice, beans, canned fruits and vegetables, soups, 100% juices, peanut butter, canned tuna, chicken or turkey.

Those who would like to stay connected with the Feeding America/The Help program are encouraged to:

• “Like” the Facebook page

• Follow us on Twitter

Unprecedented demand for food assistance

The state of the economy is affecting more Americans than any other time in recent history. The US Department of Agriculture reports that 49 million Americans are food insecure. Feeding America reports a 46 percent increase in the number of people seeking emergency food assistance through their nationwide network of food banks compared to four years ago.

For those not living in the five cities where the food drive takes place, DreamWorks will be doing grassroots and media awareness campaigns to encourage local community efforts. As well, you can find other ways to help on TakePart.com/TheHelp, the social action website sponsored by The Help‘s producing partners Participant Media.

Who’s Helping?

The #1  New York Times  best-seller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the powerful performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast. The Help is an inspirational, courageous and empowering story about very different, extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project — one that breaks society’s rules and puts them all at risk.

Filled with poignancy, humor and hope — and complete with compelling, never-before-seen bonus features — The Help is a timeless, universal and triumphant story about the ability to create change. To learn more about the movie please visit, http://thehelpmovie.com/us/.

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors.

Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinfoodbank/

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