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Tongal and Tyson Foods Harness Creativity to Feed Communities

Internet video contest provides prize money and food donations for winning submissions.

Internet video contest provides prize money and food donations for winning submissions.

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Feeding America

 

SPRINGDALEArk.  Sept. 28, 2009 – Today, Tongal.com and Tyson Foods, Inc. announced a collaborative project to bring together the creative power of the online video community with the efforts to raise awareness for the need for hunger relief in America. Tongal, in association with Tyson Foods and FeedingAmerica.orgis sponsoring a short video contest to honor the dedicated men, women and children that work to eliminate hunger in their community. The contest will last eight weeks culminating in the announcement of winners on the week of Nov. 23.  For more information and complete contest rules, visit www.tongal.com/foodbankspotlight.

 

“We want to highlight the heroic hunger relief efforts taking place in communities across America by harnessing the creative groundswell that compels millions of users to upload video to YouTube, Veoh, Metacafe and Ustream,” said James DeJulio, co-founder and president of Tongal. “Together, the online video community and Tyson are going to bring food to thousands through this project.”

 

Millions of Americans struggle with hunger each dayAccording to Feeding America and the Hunger Almanac, more than 12.4 million children in the U.S. are at risk for hunger.USDA reports indicate that even mild under-nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts their behavior, school performance and overall cognitive development. Every day thoughtful, committed individuals across the country and in your backyard work to keep these people from going hungry. The Tongal video contest, sponsored by Tyson Foods, recognizes these individuals and the difference they make for families in their community.

 

“At Tyson Foods, we want to raise awareness for hunger relief by telling the stories of the community volunteers who work on the frontlines,” said Ed Nicholson, director of community relations for Tyson Foods. “The Tongal contest will share and celebrate these hunger “All-Stars” from across the country.”

 

For more information on Tyson and hunger relief, visit  http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/.

 

The contest will consist of two phases. In Phase 1, producers will create and submit their short films spotlighting a local food bank and the people in their communities who are fighting hunger along with information on how to volunteer or donate to that specific food bank. In Phase 2, members of the Tongal community will watch the videos to predict the winners.

 

 

Videos should be uplifting in tone and explain how real people make a difference by dedicating themselves to eliminating hunger. Video subjects could be a neighbor who has worked for 40 years to feed those in need without recognition or the adolescent who spent his weekends raising money at a local mall after learning that some of his classmates were going hungry.

 

About Tongal: Co-founded by James DeJulio, Mark Burrell and Rob Salvatore with the goal of democratizing the way content is created, Tongal bridges the gap between creative people around the world and businesses that need them. The company launched its unique online platform that combines crowdsourcing and performance games to deliver professional quality commercials, music videos, short films and instructional videos in May of 2009. Tongal's founders believe that in today's world, a great idea or video can come from anywhere, so now they are proving it by building a collaborative community that gives creative individuals with a wide variety of skill sets an opportunity to work, connect with one another, express themselves and get paid for what they love to do.

 

Tyson Foods, Inc. [NYSE: TSN], founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. Tyson provides products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 107,000. Team Members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tyson.com for more details.

 

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