Project Overview

The Need is creating a primetime television special entitled Growing Hope Against Hunger, which is made possible by the generous support The struggle with hunger exists of Walmart. This one-hour special raises awareness of the widespread issue close to home, affecting our of hunger in the United States. neighbors, friends, and families. Tune in October 9th at 7 p.m. on PBS (Check local listings) The USDA estimates that 17 million American children — Primetime Special Overview nearly 1 in 4 — are food insecure, Growing Hope Against Hunger speaks to both children and adults with a story meaning that they have that celebrates the importance of community. Families will join Brad Paisley, limited or uncertain access Kimberly Williams Paisley, and their friends as everyone works to to affordable and nutritious help one another — , Rosita, , and . While collecting foods at a food.1 Of these children, more food drive and from a community garden, the Sesame friends meet Lily, a new character whose family has an ongoing struggle with hunger. Through animations than half (9.6 million) and songs, the Sesame characters learn how their simple actions, such as are under the age of six. planting a seed, can make a world of difference to others. Finally, documentary stories present children’s perspectives on food insecurity and illuminate the impact hunger has on families. The special reassures children that they are not alone: There are people who care and can help. Community Screenings The week of October 10, fifteen screenings of a portion of the program will be hosted in selected Walmart communities. Communities will be provided with a screening kit that includes: a host guide * a family activity sheet * a family tip sheet * a customizable screening flyer to promote the event * In addition, communities will have the opportunity to invite local partners to participate in the events, whether by conducting cooking demonstrations or providing information on how to access healthy foods.

About Food for Thought: Growing Hope Against Hunger is part of Food for Thought: Eating Well on a Budget, a Sesame Workshop bilingual, multimedia outreach initiative produced with funding from and in partnership with UnitedHealthcare and the Merck Foundation. Food for Thought is designed to help support families who have children between the ages of two and eight and are coping with uncertain or limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

A creation of A creationMade of possible by the generous support of Made possible by the generous support of

1 Nord, Mark, Margaret Andrews, and Steven Carlson. Household Food Security in the United States, 2008. ERR-83, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Econ. Res. Serv. November 2009. sesamestreet.org/food “Sesame Street®,” “Sesame Workshop®,” and associated characters, trademarks, and design elements are owned by Sesame Workshop. © 2011 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo: Gil Vaknin