Thank you for your support in the #HeinzSelfieforGood program. We reached our goal of raising $200,000 in donations! The program has ended, but you can still donate here to make a personal donation to Stop Hunger Now.
Rise Against Hunger partnered with Kraft Heinz Company Foundation, and specifically Heinz ketchup in foodservice channels, in the creation of the #HeinzSelfieforGood program to provide meals and educational resources necessary for ending global hunger.
Through the distribution of food and other aid, Rise Against Hunger nourishes thousands of lives each year in countries worldwide. By supporting programs that promote education, encourage children to attend school, improve students’ health and nutrition, address gender inequalities and stimulate economic growth, Rise Against Hunger is enabling communities to rise and break the cycle of poverty.
Read the inspiring stories of three of our recent beneficiaries below. We hope you’ll consider making a gift to Rise Against Hunger today to make stories like these possible around the globe. Donate here.
Anderson, age 7, is in third grade at the Ganta United Methodist School in Liberia. After sustaining severe burns as a child, Anderson’s family decided he should live with his grandparents, who are currently caring for 11 dependents. Given their meager resources, it is challenging for Anderson’s grandparents to provide adequate meals for a household of 13, pay tuition for their grandchildren, provide for their personal and medical needs and cover other expenses.
Anderson said, “There are 11 of us living in my grandma and grandpa’s house. Sometimes they cannot feed us well, we eat just a little something to keep us going.”
Fortunately, Anderson receives nutritious Rise Against Hunger meals at his school, which have helped immensely.
“The meals I get at school help me to pay attention in class,” he said. “I cannot do this when I am hungry.”
Anderson’s favorite subject in school is science, and when he grows up, he wants to be a doctor. He also loves to play soccer.
“My dream is to build my grandma a big house when I get big,” Anderson said. “The house we stay in is too small for all of us.”
Isobel, 22, lives with her two children in a very small space with two twin beds, a kitchenette and two chairs. This is not uncommon in Los Alcarrizos, Santo Domingo Oeste, Dominican Republic, an impoverished area. Isobel used to struggle to feed her children, providing them with two meals a day and living off of their leftovers.
When Isobel became part of the Pediatric Foundation for a Better Tomorrow, she had the opportunity to finish her high school education and received Rise Against Hunger meals via CitiHope International. The organization offers academic, psychological and spiritual support to young mothers and pregnant teens while providing childcare for their children.
Isobel’s teacher, Santos Apolinar, shared, “When Isobel first came to class, she was a very shy girl but had high hopes of becoming something of herself. Today I can say Isobel has grown as a person; she has matured as a human being and as a mother of two. She never misses a day of class. She shows up early every day at school and is always prepared to learn. She used to say that before she lived blindly, but now she lives happily.”
Isobel says she now sees herself as a strong, independent woman who plans to continue building her future through her studies and hard work.
When we first met Cris, age 6, in the village of Iloilo in the Philippines, he showed all of the red flags of malnutrition. He was weak, had low energy, his skin was dry, his face was pale and he had a bloated stomach. His appetite was low.
After Cris enrolled in Rise Against Hunger partner International Care Ministries’ (ICM) malnutrition treatment program, called Home Based Feeding, the ICM nutrition team confirmed that at 23 pounds and 3 feet 3 inches tall, Cris was severely malnourished.
While Cris’s father works as a fisherman in the rural slum area of Iloilo, earning $11 USD per week, he struggles to cover the costs of his family’s basic needs.
Over the next eight weeks of the Home Based Feeding program, Cris’s mother, Marissa, prepared three Rise Against Hunger meals each day for Cris and his 4-year-old brother, Joey, in the family’s small hut. Marissa used the meal ingredients to create porridge and rice cakes.
The progress Cris made in the program was more than his family could have hoped for: He is now happy, healthy and thriving. Thanks to the nutritious Rise Against Hunger meals, he gained 12 pounds to reach a healthy weight of 35 pounds. Cris became stronger, full of energy, his skin has improved, and his face has become bright. Joey also gained weight, from 19 pounds to 26 pounds —a 7 pound increase.
HOW THE SELFIE FOR GOOD CAMPAIGN WORKS:
- Take a selfie with the Heinz Selfie for Good bottle at participating restaurant locations.
- Text it to the number on the Heinz Ketchup bottle and Heinz will donate $1 to Rise Against Hunger*
- Share your photo using the link in the reply message and Heinz will donate an additional $.57. Share with #HeinzSelfieForGood
*Up to $200,000. Ends March 1, 2017. Msg&Data rates apply. One time auto reply to your number from Heinz. Consent not required to purchase. Limit 1 request per person/phone number.
