Food insecurity has become an ever-growing issue within underserved communities across the country. Research showed that in 2017 nearly 40 million Americans—including over 12 million youngsters—lacked access to food. NBA star LeBron James is determined to reverse that alarming trend. According to CBS Sports, he joined forces with Walmart for a campaign to spread awareness about hunger in America.
The campaign—which is called Fight Hunger Spark Change—was created to benefit the nonprofit Feeding America. Through its initiatives, the organization works to combat hunger faced by communities of color, children, senior citizens, and those living in poverty. They also address the hunger gap in rural communities. The end goal in this collaborative effort is to provide 1 billion meals for the hungry. As part of the Fight Hunger Spark Change initiative, Walmart will contribute to the pantry for underserved families at LeBron James’ I Promise School in Akron. Since the inception of this specific campaign, Walmart and Feed America have served over 975,000 meals and James has stepped in to push the project goal forward. Overall over 749 million meals have been served through Walmart’s partnership with Feeding America.
“It’s an honor and a privilege for me in my community and what I’m doing here to partner with such a heavy hitter in Walmart,” said James. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is thankful to have James participate in this initiative and believes that his platform will help amplify the campaign’s message. “What we hope to accomplish together with LeBron is to magnify each other’s efforts. We would love to help this model that he’s creating lead to a situation where it could help even more people,” he said. “Walmart has a responsibility to help strengthen communities.”
James has continually lent his voice to social and political issues impacting underserved and disenfranchised communities. Check out the story behind the campaign below.
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LeBron James Aims To Combat Hunger In Underserved Communities was originally published on newsone.com
