In an effort to help feed even more hungry families across the Midwest, Meijer is capitalizing on today’s social behavior of posting food photos to social media through a hashtag campaign called Don’t Just Share the Photo, Share the Meal.
For each food photo publicly posted, or each Meijer Simply Give post shared, with the #meijersimplygive on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Meijer will contribute a meal to its Simply Give program, up to $1 million. According to Feeding America, $1 equals 10 meals.
“This holiday season, we really wanted to think outside the box and connect with our customers in a meaningful way to help those in need,” said Cathy Cooper, Senior Director of Community Partnerships and Giving for Meijer. “Food has the ability to bring people together whether it’s around a table for a family meal or a beautifully-captured photo on social channels. We wanted to partner with our customers and really take advantage of that power and put it toward good use.”
The Don’t Just Share the Photo, Share the Meal campaign will run through Nov. 28, and is featured is a new Meijer TV commercial created by the Meijer Marketing Team. The commercial features a handful of food photos – caprese salad, apple pie, roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, and blueberry-topped crepes – submitted by Meijer team members.
“My husband and I love to cook together, and I am always taking quick snapshots of the meals we make on my phone,” said Kacey Diehl, Marketing Brand Planner for Meijer. “When Meijer asked for team member photos, I submitted a few and was so happy to be selected. I can’t believe the salad I made will be featured in a TV commercial. Something as easy as sharing this photo will also help provide a meal to a family in need this holiday – it’s so easy to do and can make such a huge impact on our communities.”
Here’s how to participate in the hashtag campaign:
- Take a photo of your food
- Add #meijersimplygive to your social media post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
- Post it publicly to ensure the effort is counted to help local families in need through Simply Give
Meijer began its Simply Give program in 2008 to help local food pantries fulfill their mission of feeding hungry families. Since then, the program has generated more than $50 million, which equates to more than 500 million meals. According to Feeding America, $1 equals 10 meals.
While the hashtag campaign ends on Nov. 28, the holiday Simply Give campaign will run through Jan. 4. During each Simply Give campaign, customers are encouraged to purchase a $10 Simply Give donation card upon checkout. Once purchased, the donation is converted into a Meijer Food-Only Gift Card and donated directly to the local food pantry selected by the store for that campaign.
Meijer will double match customers’ donations on Dec. 3 and Dec. 13. That means for every $10 donation card purchased, Meijer will contribute $20, resulting in a total $30 donation.