When people think of summertime and children, they may imagine sunny vacations, popsicles, picnics and relaxation time with the family.
This isn’t the case for millions of children in America who face hunger once school is out and low cost lunches are no longer available. In fact, in southeast Michigan alone, more than 300,000 children receive free or reduced-price meals in schools and their opportunity to eat frequent, healthy meals ends once the summer bell rings.
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To fight back against the unfortunate reality for those children, Ally Financial Inc. has launched a social campaign geared towards helping hungry children and they’re doing it by donating $10 for every Twitter and Facebook engagement related to the program.
“Giving back and making a difference in our communities is core to our culture at Ally, and supporting vital organizations, like the Feeding America network, is a key area of focus,” said Gina Proia, Ally’s head of communications, citizenship and culture.
The summer can be a fun and exciting time for many kids, but when school is out, more than 18 million children will lose access to free or reduced-price meals. This is the time to help kids and their families who struggle with hunger.” said Proia
Those wanting to help can simply go on Facebook or Twitter and use the hashtag #TenPercentMore for the rest of June.
You can contribute on Twitter by tweeting or retweeting @Ally, @AllyAuto and @AllyBank using the #TenPercentMore hashtag and on Facebook by using the same hashtag on the Ally Auto or Ally bank Facebook pages.
Every tracked use of the hashtag will count for a $10 donation. Ally will also be matching 10 percent of donations made directly to Feeding America.
Feeding America, which is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger, says they’re thankful for the way Aly Financial has stepped up to help the community.
“The Feeding America network serves 46 million people in America, including twelve million children,” said Nancy Curby, vice president of corporate partnerships at Feeding America. “We are thankful to Ally and its #TenPercentMore initiative for supporting children and families who struggle with hunger during the critical summer months.”
According to Kids Count in Michigan, more than 46% of school-aged children are eligible for free or reduced lunch and more than 300,000 children receive free or reduced lunch in southeast Michigan alone.
The campaign ends June 30.