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Media Advocacy Groups Join Forces in Response to Latest U.S. Hunger Report
WASHINGTON, Nov 27, 2009 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) --
The End Hunger
Network and the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC)
have joined forces to launch a nationwide project to bring
together leaders in the news and entertainment industries,
writers, broadcast producers, and education and
communication experts to promote the development of creative
initiatives in communicating about America's hunger problem.
The project is in response to the recent report by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture that counts 49 million
Americans - nearly 15 percent -- living in households that
lacked consistent access to food in 2008. That number was
up by 13 million Americans over the previous year and was
the highest since the government began tracking what it
calls "food security" 14 years ago. In about one-third of
those households, lack of money forced members to skip
meals, cut portions or otherwise forgo food at some point.
The percentage of children living in food-insecure
households rose by 34 percent from 2007 to 2008
(http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR83/ERR83.pdf).
"It is particularly troubling that there were more than
500,000 families in which a child experienced hunger
multiple times over the course of the year. Our children's
ability to grow, learn, and meet their full potential - and
therefore our future competitiveness as a nation - depends
on regular access to healthy meals," said President Obama in
a recent statement. The President has set a goal of ending
childhood hunger in the United States by 2015.
Actor and End Hunger Network founder Jeff Bridges said:
"This is a problem that we can no longer ignore. Clearly,
the families hit hardest by the economic downturn are the
most vulnerable Americans. The media has an important role
in supporting the work of charities and government leaders
because it can help rivet Americans' attention to this
American crisis and spotlight the kind of personal, local
and national action that will turn the corner."
"Our industry's creative community and local media is an
untapped asset in addressing this issue," said EIC
President/CEO and Co-Founder Brian Dyak. "Our strategic
alliance with the End Hunger Network is to bring the power
and influence of the creative community to bear. EIC's
Entertainment and Media Communication Institute will involve
the country's top communication experts and develop
approaches utilizing risk communication, health promotion,
and web-based communications to garner greater public policy
attention and volunteerism to the cause."
The collaborative project between the two organizations
will confront the challenge of communicating powerfully
about childhood hunger to Americans, many of whom are facing
economic difficulties themselves. They will develop
messages relating childhood nutrition to economic security,
educational success, future productivity and healthcare, and
provide informational briefings and resources to television
programmers, writers, and journalists. Through the
participation of leading hunger organizations,
communications experts and media professionals, this
campaign is aimed at generating public will and commitment
to ensure that every American family will have access to
enough nutritious food to lead active and healthy lives.
About Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC)
http://www.eiconline.org/
EIC, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1983 by
leaders of the entertainment industry to bring the power of
the industry to bear on health and social issues. The
organization is considered to be the grand daddy and chief
pioneer of entertainment advocacy outreach and one of the
premiere success stories in the field of entertainment
education and information resources for entertainment
creators, through innovative and time-proven services and
methods of "encouraging the art of making a difference" from
within the entertainment industry. EIC also produces the
simulcast national television special PRISM Awards which
addresses issues such as drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and
addiction; mental health and mental illness, including
bipolar disorder, depression and suicide.
EIC also addresses issues such as; firearm safety and
injury prevention; sun safety and skin cancer prevention;
human trafficking; terrorism and homeland security;
diabetes; seat belt use and traffic safety; and HIV/AIDS
prevention. It has also launched an initiative to increase
the public profile and interest in science, engineering and
technology.
About the End Hunger Network (http://www.endhunger.com/)
The End Hunger Network is a Hollywood-based nonprofit
organization founded in 1983 that works with the
entertainment community to encourage, stimulate and support
media projects, programs and events aimed at involving
people in ending childhood hunger. It encourages celebrity
and media industry participation in the issue and develops
media events aimed at raising awareness and resources to end
hunger.
Past efforts have included Prime Time to End Hunger (a
first-time collaboration of the three major television
networks to air special episodes of primetime television
shows that dealt creatively with the issue of hunger) and
Fast Forward to End Hunger (a national initiative with video
retailers that raised more than $3 million that was
distributed to food banks within the communities where
retailers participated). The End Hunger Network also
developed a Showtime film, Hidden in America, which was
nominated for three Emmy Awards, one Golden Globe Award, two
Golden Satellite Awards, one Screen Actor Guild Award and
one Writer's Guild of America Award.
- - - -
CONTACTS: Larry Deutchman, EIC Executive Vice President,
Marketing & Industry Relations, 818-840-2016,
ldeutch@eiconline.org
Jerry Michaud, End Hunger Network Executive Director,
703-860-1273, jmichaud@endhunger.com
((AScribe - The Public Interest Newswire / http://www.ascribe.org))
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