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We Scare Hunger

We Scare Hunger. Formerly known as Halloween For Hunger. Takes place on October 31st, 2012, and is made possible in Canada by Campbell's. Hunger is a daily reality for millions of people, even in your own backyard. This Halloween do something about it. Be a hero and help hunger disappear.

Sign up to be a hero and help hunger disappear

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Why local hunger?

Millions of people around the world, and some in our own communities, go hungry every day—many of them are children. In Canada, food bank use has gone up 20% in the last ten years.

We Scare Hunger, formerly Halloween for Hunger, is Free The Children’s annual campaign to mobilize youth around local hunger issues. Free The Children board member Dr. Jonathan White, professor of sociology and political economy at Bridgewater State University, founded this campaign in 1988 with a group of friends who were looking to make a difference in their community. He has since helped to introduce the campaign to countless youth groups and university students. In 2000, Professor White brought the Halloween for Hunger campaign to Free The Children.

We Scare Hunger is made possible with the support of Help Hunger Disappear®, Campbell Canada’s national hunger awareness and food drive program. Since 2008, Help Hunger Disappear® reminds us that we can all play a part in helping the more than 900,000 Canadians who rely on their local food banks every month.

Every October 31st, thousands of young people take action to scare local hunger and poverty. By trick-or-treating for non-perishable food items instead of just candy, or collecting canned goods at school and in their community, they help support their local food bank and raise awareness about this very important issue. They not only make a tangible contribution to their communities, but also become knowledgeable advocates for change.

In 2012 alone, participants collected an estimated 875,000 pounds of food— enough to feed 172 families of four for a whole year!

The Facts

Millions of people around the world go hungry every day—many of them are children.

In Canada:

Food bank use has gone up 20% in the last ten years.
In March 2011, 851,014 Canadians sought help from a food bank—the second highest level of food bank use on record.
Check out Food Banks Canada’s 2011 report here.

In the United States:

In 2010, 46.9 million people (15.1%) lived in poverty in the United States.
One in eight Americans now rely on food banks. Nearly 14 million are children, over three million of which are under five years old.
More than one in three food bank-assisted households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.

In the United Kingdom:

13 million people in the United Kingdom live below the poverty line.
In 2011, Trussell Trust food banks fed over 60,000 people experiencing food poverty.

What you can do

Support local food banks and take action. Scare local hunger by trick-or-treating for non-perishable food items instead of just candy. Collect canned goods at school, work and in the community, then drop them off at your local food bank to Help Hunger Disappear®.

Be a hero and sign up. Why? Because you can.

Sign up now!

Downloads & Resources

Below you’ll find all of the resources you need for a successful We Scare Hunger campaign, including a how-to guide, images for use on social media, educational resources and more!

Download Social Media Images