Summertime can be a hungry time for many American children.
More than 17 million children in the U.S. receive free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at their local public schools. As schools close for the summer, these children lose access to those programs.
In response, Microsoft Corp. and Feeding America have joined forces to fight hunger in the United States through the Browser for the Better campaign.
For every completed download of the new Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft’s Browser for the Better campaign (running through Aug. 8, 2009) will donate the financial equivalent of eight meals to Feeding America’s network of 206 local food banks, which supplies food to more than 25 million Americans each year.
‘This summer, millions of families throughout the U.S. are living on the brink of hunger,’ said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. ‘Demand for food is higher than it has been in decades. The Browser for the Better campaign is both raising awareness of hunger and giving people an easy opportunity to help their neighbors at no cost to them. It’s a win-win arrangement for Microsoft, Feeding America and people all across the country,’ she said.
We see this as another example of Food Philanthropy — a corporate trend The Food Channel had forecast as one of the Top 10 Food Trends of 2009.
Promotion of the campaign includes a series of viral videos starring television star Dean Cain and directed by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, highlighting features of Internet Explorer 8.
‘Our customers have told us they want to have an impact in the lives of their friends and neighbors,’ said Amy Barzdukas, senior director for Internet Explorer at Microsoft. ‘The Browser for the Better campaign is all about making it easy for people to make a real difference. Not only are they contributing to their community, they’re getting a more secure, modern browser designed for the way people browse the Internet today.’
Launched in March, Internet Explorer 8 offers what Microsoft calls leading-edge security features in addition to ease of use and improved performance.
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