Enactus is a community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world.

entrepreneurial—having the perspective to see an opportunity and the talent to create value from that opportunity;

action—the willingness to do something and the commitment to see it through even when the outcome is not guaranteed;
us—a collection of people who see themselves connected in some important way; individuals that are part of a greater whole.

The Campbell’s Let’s Can Hunger Project Partnership, sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, mobilizes Enactus United States teams to measure and demonstrate a comprehensive approach to addressing hunger including; organizing and executing food drives for urgent hunger relief and empowering those in need to defeat the cycle of hunger for lasting hunger relief.

• Urgent Hunger Relief: Enactus teams will be judged on how successfully they organized and executed food drives to increase the total amount of food being donated to food banks (total non-perishable food items or cash donations).
• Lasting Hunger Relief: Enactus teams will engage in and report on activities that foster the long-term relief of hunger for individuals and groups trapped in the hunger cycle. Lasting Hunger Relief shall be defined to include the transfer of knowledge, skills or resources that empower individuals and families in the face of hunger.

The Urgent and Lasting Hunger Relief Pledge

Up to 100 Enactus teams in the United States have the opportunity to receive up to $400 for pledging to collect 5,000+ pounds of food/funds and to execute a Lasting Hunger Relief project by April 19, 2013. Note that a limited number of project grants will be reserved for teams on a first come, first serve basis. Grant amounts will be determined by the team’s previous participation in the annual Let’s Can Hunger Project Partnership, including the 2009 Pilot Program.

Grant Amounts by Previous Participation:
One year or less:         $400
Two years:                   $300
Three or more years:   $200

Contact Kathryn Atchley at katchley@enactus.org if you are unsure of your team’s previous participation.

All teams fulfilling the Urgent and Lasting Hunger Relief Pledge will be invited to attend an exclusive reception with Campbell Soup Company employees and executives at the 2013 Enactus United States National Exposition.

Final Impact Reports will be judged by Campbell Soup Company prior to the 2013 Enactus National Exposition. Eight finalist teams will receive $1,000. Three additional teams will be selected to receive a Grand Prize and will be recognized at the 2013 Enactus United States National Exposition.

Grand Prize Awards:
First Place: $5,000 & Trophy
Second Place: $4,000 & Trophy
Third Place: $3,000 & Trophy

A team must fulfill the Urgent and Lasting Hunger Relief Pledge to be considered for a Grand Prize.

HUNGER: A GROWING EPIDEMIC

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reports that 925 million people around the world do not have enough to eat. The FAO cites causes including “high domestic food prices, lower incomes and increasing unemployment.” To combat the increasing issue of worldwide hunger, the FAO has identified safety nets and sustainable hunger relief solutions as a “two track” approach to help relieve hunger, writing:

“Safety net interventions should address the immediate impact on the vulnerable while also providing sustainable solutions to the underlying problems…safety nets must enable recipients to become more credit-worthy and more able to access modern inputs and adopt new technologies, thus allowing them to graduate from the safety-net programme . . . to lift themselves out of hunger, the food-insecure need control over resources, access to opportunities . . .”

Combating this trend will not be an easy task, which is why innovative solutions are needed to help resource critical populations and provide those in poverty with the tools needed to defeat the cycle of hunger.  These are the underlying principles of Campbell’s Let’s Can Hunger Project Partnership.

The State of Food Insecurity in the World; Economic crises – impacts and lessons learned. 2009 online ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/012/i0876e/i0876e00.pdf.