Salt Lake City, Utah Secures Top Spot in Walmart's Facebook Campaign and $1 Million in Grants for Hunger Relief

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 5 million votes, Salt Lake City, Utah, took the top spot in Walmart's "Fighting Hunger Together" Facebook campaign. The campaign called on Facebook users to go to www.walmart.com/fightinghunger and vote for one of the 100 hungriest communities in the United States. Nonprofits in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area will receive $1 million in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to help fight hunger.  

Part of Walmart's $2 billion commitment to help fight hunger through 2015, the "Fighting Hunger Together" Facebook campaign generated more than 10 million votes since it began on Nov. 15. The five runner-up communities with the next highest votes are Fresno, Calif., Columbia, S.C., Ogden, Utah, Charleston, S.C., and Bakersfield, Calif. These metropolitan areas will each receive $100,000 in grants for local hunger relief efforts.

"We launched this Facebook campaign with the goal of raising awareness of the serious issue of hunger in the U.S.  The overwhelming enthusiasm from the people who rallied for their community shows the campaign's success," said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. "We've gained valuable feedback from the conversations on Facebook that we'll use to help inform our hunger relief giving in 2011 and beyond."

The communities included in Walmart's "Fighting Hunger Together" Facebook campaign were chosen based on a 2010 study from the Food Research and Action Center that identified the communities with the highest rates of food hardship in the U.S.

Through its Facebook page, Walmart will keep fans updated on the local hunger-fighting organizations in the six winning communities that will receive funding through this initiative. The company will also share success stories, photos and videos on the impact the organizations are making. For more information, visit www.walmart.com/fightinghunger.

About Philanthropy at Walmart  

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. The Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $512 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally, $467 million of which was donated in the U.S. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.

SOURCE Walmart