Four-in-five moms think their kids will witness a bullying incident at school, according to a new survey from Green Giant and PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today begins National Bullying Prevention Month and Green Giant's new partnership with PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center to help parents and kids find the courage to speak up and take action against bullying. The partnership's efforts will aid schools and families nationwide, just as a new survey¹ reveals parents' strong need to help stop bullying.

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Nine-in-10 parents (90 percent) want to empower their child to help his/her peers who are being bullied, according to the Raise a Giant survey by Green Giant. However, about half (45 percent) are worried their child won't know what to do if he/she is the target of bullying².

The Power of Pairing Giants

To help children stand up to bullying, Green Giant has created Raise a Giant, a campaign that pairs parents and kids together to end bullying through various tools and activities, including a media event to celebrate PACER's Unity Day on October 9 – a special day to support bullying prevention.

The campaign will center around an online open-letter writing campaign at a new website, raiseagiant.com, where parents will use the power of story-telling to stand tall against the issue. Green Giant will also engage bloggers and media to write and share letters and videos about bullying, aiming to stop bullying in their own communities and introduce a school curriculum funded by Green Giant and created by PACER.    

Raise a Giant will also use the power of social media through shareable Facebook badges and leverage Twitter and Pinterest, increasing awareness and encouraging positive change in communities nationwide.                       

"Kids who are bullied may suffer from anxiety and depression. They can feel scared, helpless and alone," said Julie Hertzog, director of PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. "We're proud to partner with Green Giant to empower moms and kids to take positive action in their communities."

"Green Giant goes to great lengths to help people grow and thrive physically by providing a variety of veggies," said John Stockman, associate marketing director for Green Giant. "Through this campaign, we also help them thrive emotionally by addressing one of the biggest issues facing families today – bullying. Our new movement will empower witnesses of bullying to be passionate, proactive advocates to end bullying, creating stronger families and communities nationwide."

The campaign's goal of delivering easy tools for families to learn how best to handle – or even prevent – incidents of bullying in their communities resonates strongly with both moms and dads, according to the Raise a Giant survey³. When asked "what would help empower you and your child to prevent bullying," parents cited the following:  help empower you and your child to prevent bullying," parents cited the following:  

• Having an easy tool to educate my child on how to best handle a bullying situation – 64 percent
• Helping my child start a positive dialogue with his/her peers about bullying – 55 percent

For more campaign information, visit raiseagiant.com.

About Green Giant^®
Few companies enjoy a heritage as rich as that of Green Giant. It all started 110 years ago in 1903, when the Crosby family created the first cannery in the rich valley of Le Sueur, Minnesota, where glaciers carved out some of the richest soil in the world. For generations, Green Giant farmers have been growing the best quality vegetables and freezing them quickly to lock in the freshness. That's how we've made our vegetables deliciously unforgettable for years, and made Green Giant a trusted household brand. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.greengiant.com.

About General Mills
General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2013 worldwide sales of US $17.8 billion.

About PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center
PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center unites, engages, and educates communities nationwide to prevent bullying through the use of creative, interactive resources including the websites TeensAgainstBullying.org, KidsAgainstBullying.org, and PACER.org/bullying. Based in Minneapolis, PACER offers educators, students, families, and individuals the tools they need to address bullying in schools, the community, and online.

SOURCE Green Giant