Hunger-Fighting Food Shuttle Wins Major Publicity Boost from Ad Club and Local Students

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Ad Club of the Triangle and students at Campbell University are partnering with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to fight local hunger. Ad Club officials chose Inter-Faith Food Shuttle as the beneficiary of its 2007 public service announcement contest. The result is a collaborative effort of the region’s top creative professionals and local college students to deliver a media campaign that raises public awareness and ultimately feeds more hungry people.

Acting on their conviction that hunger is unacceptable, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle consists of volunteers of all faiths who are actively committed to alleviating hunger. Food Shuttle volunteers recover, prepare and distribute perishable food for people who are malnourished or experiencing homelessness in the Raleigh area.

“Hunger is everyone’s problem,” said Jill Bullard, Founder and President of the Food Shuttle. “We believe that food rescue is the natural next step in hunger relief.” Each year, Food Shuttle volunteers rescue approximately 5 million pounds of food from 220 donors such as hotels and restaurants.

Jeff Robinson, Chairman of the Ad Club’s public service campaign, said this year’s effort is unique in its partnership with local students. “The Campbell University Mass Communications students are working hard to make this a big win for Inter-Faith Food Shuttle,” Robinson said. “We felt this would be a great way for local college students to get real world experience in their field while helping a worthy cause here in Raleigh.”

Ultimately, the Ad Club hopes to involve students from several area universities. This will enable the agency to do pro bono public awareness campaigns for multiple nonprofits each year.

The campaign is a positive experience for the students who gain valuable job skills while putting their education into practice. Dr. Edward Johnson, Associate Professor of Mass Communications at Campbell University, helps his senior students work closely with the Ad Club’s advertising and creative professionals to develop an effective campaign.

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s goals for the campaign are to increase community awareness about local hunger and the Food Shuttle’s efforts, recruit new volunteers (both individuals and groups) and feed more hungry people in the greater Raleigh-Durham area.

Students are seeking donated media space from television, radio, print and outdoor advertising providers to achieve these goals. Ad Club officials plan to launch the campaign on January 17.

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is a member of America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s food bank network. In addition to food rescue and distribution, it operates children’s programs and a comprehensive Culinary Job Training Program to help adults obtain jobs in the food service industry.

The Ad Club is the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation, a network of advertising and media professionals that promote and protect the wellbeing of advertising. Each year’s public service campaign contest attracts entries from local nonprofits competing for the prize through written entries and interviews with staff and board members. Previous winners include Triangle Impact and Wake County Literacy Council.

For more information, visit www.foodshuttle.org or contact Jeff Robinson at jeff@cprpromotions.com, 919-363-7070.