Washington, DC – BBYO and DoSomething.org‘s five-week hunger advocacy and awareness campaign, Can-Tribute, will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 30. To date, 15,000 youth across North America collected 200,000 pounds of canned goods to donate to food banks in their communities.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, these young people have come together to learn about the prevalence of hunger right in their backyards and do their part to fight it. The campaign, which kicked off on September 23 to align with the Jewish High Holidays, is lasting through Thanksgiving to round out this season of giving back.
The leaders of the top three biggest food drives won a pre-screening of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 for themselves and 20 friends. The overall winner, Alexa Thrash – with 400 other students and through her school Calvary Christian Academy – in Forth Worth Texas, led the way, collecting 67,000 cans of food.
“The Can-Tribute campaign led by BBYO and DoSomething.org really resonated with me,” said Thrash. “I decided to join this effort at my school and, by canning door to door, asking for donations and working with a team of teachers and students, we were able to really make an impact. While winning a pre-screening of The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 1 was really amazing, the best part was knowing that I helped people in need right here in Fort Worth.”
BBYO hosted pre-screenings of the movie in 49 communities across North America. These events, open to the community, were an exciting conclusion to the Can-Tribute campaign. They provided an opportunity for teens to come together locally, bring more cans to their theaters and learn about their role in the fight against hunger in their community.
“BBYO connects thousands of Jewish teens from around the world with the issues they care most about, and the skills and venue they need to become effective change makers,” said Natalie Spring, Director of Campaigns and Movement Initiatives at BBYO. “Can-Tribute is just one example of the hundreds of BBYO Stand UP campaigns that teens lead. Rooted in Jewish obligation and BBYO tradition, these campaigns offer teens a way to implement the practice of tikkun olam, repairing the world, around us.”
“At DoSomething.org we know the power of pop culture, like movie premieres, to reach young people about issues they care about. Katniss would be proud of the impact young people made this year for Can-Tribute,” said Naomi Hirabayashi, Chief Marketing Officer at DoSomething.org.
