Walmart Canada campaign urges shoppers to help fight hunger

Walmart Canada is enlisting the help of shoppers to combat hunger through its recently-launched national fundraising campaign called "Fight Hunger. Spark Change."

The big box retailer hopes to raise enough money to secure five million meals for Food Banks Canada and is giving consumers four ways to participate in the campaign.

Shoppers can donate at the register, purchase a participating product in store or online (vendors will donate a portion of the proceeds), donate non-perishable food items at store level, or share #FightHungerSparkChange on social media and in return Walmart will donate $1 (up to a maximum of $80,000).

"Together with our vendor partners, customers, associates, and Food Banks Canada, we are committed to making a real difference in relieving hunger in the hundreds of communities in which we serve," said Lee Tappenden, president and CEO of Walmart Canada, in a press release.

Participating vendors include General Mills, Maple Leaf Foods, Kraft Heinz, Quaker and Unilever.

A study from Food Banks Canada found more than 860,000 Canadians use food banks each month, a 28% increase since the 2008 economic downturn. The growing use of food banks means people struggle to access enough nutritious foods like produce, meat, dairy and non-perishable staples, according to the organization.

Walmart Canada has been a partner of Food Banks Canada since 2011. The retailer is also a founding partner of the national retail food program and has donated more than five million pounds of food directly to local food banks. The retailer's charitable arm, Walmart Foundation,  recently gave Food Banks Canada a $2.6 million grant to invest in the infrastructure needed to recover and distribute surplus food to families in need.

Walmart Canada is running a 30-second television commercial (watch below) as part of the campaign, which wraps May 20. A similar initiative has launched in the U.S. in support of Feeding America.