How could it be that in this land of plenty, there are more than plenty of children (over 16 million) suffering from hunger? From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans … one in five children in our own backyard is trying to sleep on an empty stomach. They’re also falling behind in school, unable to concentrate, hungry at that very moment, while also wondering where — and when — they may have a decent meal.
You may know one of these children, or worse, you may know them, and yet be unaware of their desperation because – like adults – children too have pride and shrink from the stigma of poverty. This is sad, and shameful for our society. Really? Who would not give to a hungry seven year old? Potentially, our congress, but that’s another story.
For over a year now, Bcauz has had the great, good fortune to join in the movement to end childhood hunger in America. Yes, we’ve advocated; yes, we’ve donated, but our most meaningful efforts have been realized through our cause-related work on behalf of the Arby’s Foundation, the charitable arm of the Arby’s brand. With passionate and dedicated leadership, the Arby’s Foundation created a task force and engaged Bcauz Marketing to help them reinvent the 25 year old foundation with a goal to better align the foundation’s work with the Arby’s brand voice, and to create a new mission, which would resonate with all stakeholders in a meaningful and readily understood way - from the corporate office, to the brand customers, suppliers and franchisees. More than anything, the foundation was determined to have significant impact on a pressing problem.
This blog is not the case study … it is a celebration of commitment from the Arby’s Foundation and the partner that Bcauz brought to the table: Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, who intends to end childhood hunger in America by 2015. It is a celebration of belief and hope in the No Kid Hungry mission, and the beginning of the Arby’s Foundation partnership with a $1 million pledge in 4th quarter 2011 ($1 dollar can help connect a child to 10 healthy meals). Can you say TEN MILLION MEALS? And this is just the beginning — of the end.
Take the No Kid Hungry Pledge - no money required, just a chance to join a movement of people who believe that no child in America should go hungry.
About the author
Terri Evans:
Terri Evans, Founder and President, Bcauz MarketingThroughout Terri Evans’ extensive for-profit marketing communications career, the “hound of helping others” has nipped at her heels. After twenty years as a partner in LeslieEvansCreative, an Atlanta-based full service advertising and public relations firm, Terri founded Bcauz Marketing around the idea of “brand power for good.” In other words, “for good – for both – for the long term.” She is passionate about the power of brands to do social good in partnership with causes resulting in sustainability and mutual profit for both.Long before “cause-related marketing” was embraced as a dedicated marketing discipline, Terri recognized the value of such for her clients and integrated cause-related programs into her clients’ marketing plans as simply one piece of a sound marketing plan. Despite her belief that she had the right instincts, passion and general marketing savvy for cause marketing; Terri also knew that best practices were one of the keys to success for her clients. She persuaded the cause marketing team at Susan B Komen for the Cure international headquarters to accept her as a “mid-turn” (at the tender age of 53). Terri invested a month on-site at Komen where she learned from, and contributed to, each task area within the cause marketing department.Bcauz Marketing has since consulted with and served a variety of brands and non-profits including: The Arby’s Foundation, Southern Arts Federation (now SouthArts); Church’s Chicken & Historic Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU); Brand Atlanta, Partnership Against Domestic Violence, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Georgia Women for Change, Run Daisy & more.During her cross-discipline marketing communications career, Terri represented such local, regional, national and international clients as: Deloitte & Touche, Hyatt Hotels Atlanta, The Mid-Atlantic Region of Hyatt Hotels, Omni Hotels, Swissotels Worldwide, R.R. Donnelley & Sons, Charleston, SC Chamber of Commerce, the SC Brick Association, Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company, McDonald’s and more. Terri has in-depth experience and knowledge in the best practices of branding, advertising, public relations, special events, sales promotion, and social media/marketing for a variety of vertical categories.Terri began her career as the Assistant Director of Marketing for the North American Soccer League’s Atlanta Chiefs. In this role, she created The Coca-Cola Junior Chiefs Club, founded and operated the Team’s Speaker’s Bureau and community outreach, and developed and executed sponsorship packages with such partners as Budweiser, Bacardi, Coca-Cola, Baskin-Robbins and others. Evans later joined Atlanta-based SmithMcNeal Advertising as an account executive and ultimately became Vice President of Account Services before opening a satellite office for the same agency in Washington, DC.Over the years Terri has provided pro-bono expertise and creative to many causes and organizations, including: Board of Directors of The Samaritan House of Atlanta, The Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV); The Center for Visually Impaired, and was on the Board of the Buckhead Branch of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, where she was a founding chair of “A Toast to Buckhead,” an annual fundraiser involving over thirty sponsoring entities to benefit the Atlanta History Center.Terri is also a freelance writer and has written feature stories for the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia Magazine, and was the food and beverage columnist for three years with Atlanta Intown Magazine. She is also one of the founders and a regular contributing writer to LikeTheDew.com, a journal of Southern culture and progressive politics.
