DDC Advocacy Congratulates Feeding America on Award-Winning Campaign

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- DDC Advocacy today congratulated long-time client Feeding America on receiving the 2010 Grassroots Innovation Award from the Public Affairs Council for its Hunger Action Month campaign to engage and mobilize supporters to fight hunger.

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Feeding America—a national non-profit dedicated to eradicating hunger—conducted the large-scale campaign during the month of September. The Hunger Action Month effort included a nationwide contest for 205 local food banks, challenging them to engage citizens and mobilize supporters to press public officials on the importance of anti-hunger initiatives.  The prize for the food bank that generated the most activity was an entire truckload of food—donated by Kraft Foods—to be distributed to local families in need.

"We are extremely proud to be a member of their team," said Jennifer Miller, DDC Advocacy's campaign manager who assisted in the effort. "It's a really important cause, particularly in this economic environment."

At the heart of the innovative campaign, Feeding America used a dynamic, member-driven website that allowed supporters to sign up, get involved, and take the campaign viral via blogs and social networks like Facebook and Twitter.  Participants could access real-time updates on which food bank was leading the charge, fostering healthy competition for a contest that had many winners.

"The campaign played a key role in raising the profile of our advocacy efforts and the important role of government assistance in fighting hunger," said Maura Daly, Feeding America's Vice President of Government Relations.  "The prospect of an extra truckload of food for their communities really helped motivate the food banks to get involved."

The campaign recruited 5,600 new supporters, and advocates took more than 20,500 actions—ranging from calling elected officials to sharing their own very compelling personal stories about hunger and spreading the word on their blogs.

The Public Affairs Council's Grassroots Innovation Award recognizes the nation's best grassroots programs and campaigns.  It was presented to Feeding America at the Council's annual Grassroots Conference in Orlando, Florida.

DDC Advocacy (www.ddcadvocacy.com) is a full-service advocacy firm that helps clients engage and empower their supporters to take action on issues through tailored strategies, targeted communications, and innovative technologies. Founded in 1996, the firm employs more than 150 people and serves a client base of more than 300 organizations. 

SOURCE DDC Advocacy