Starting this week and continuing throughout the month of December, including New Years Eve weekend, the Hungerthon and WHY's (World Hunger Year) message of fighting hunger and poverty through the work of performing artists will be "wrapped" around the wrists of over 1 million adults in the trendiest clubs and music venues in the United Sates.
Through a partnership with Billboard Bands Wristbands and its subsidiary, PMbuzz.com (www.pmbuzz.com), WHY's Hungerthon logo will be featured on the wristbands that are used for club admission and special VIP access, at over 240 nightclubs in all top 21 DMA's in the US.
Hungerthon is WHY's largest annual public outreach, broadcasting to millions of people essential information about hunger and poverty. During Hungerthon, listeners are encouraged to make donations and bid on auction items while learning about innovative grassroots organizations throughout the country.
WHY works with an expanding network of artists and celebrities who have joined together to fight hunger and poverty. Dedicated artist-activists have raised awareness and more than $7 million for more than 500 anti-poverty organizations in the U.S. WHY is helping thousands of America's hungry connect to food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and government programs in their neighborhoods by providing immediate help via the National Hunger Hotline 1-866-3-HUNGRY. WHY also supports the work of more than 8,750 community-based organizations working on the frontlines to help poor and hungry Americans move out of poverty, more specifically helping them tap into their own power to be self-reliant through job training, life skills, urban farming, after school programs, affordable housing, entrepreneurial businesses, and much more.
"Billboard Bands and PMbuzz.com have once again generously donated promotional space on their wristbands to help WHY fight hunger," said Noreen Springstead, WHY's Director of Fundraising and Marketing. "As a result of the advertising we received this past spring, club-goers reached out to help. Reaching this generation of people is extremely important to our public outreach and our future work to fight hunger and poverty."
Fred Epstien, CEO of both companies added: "We could think of no better time than during the Holiday Season to again work with World Hunger in connection with its very important, annual Hungerthon campaign. We expect that our "Wristbranding" medium will bring additional attention and hopefully even more importantly, additional donations to WHY and its important fight against poverty in America."
PMbuzz.com is the first social networking site created exclusively for the nightlife community and launched to the New York metropolitan market on August 9, 2007. It was developed by Billboard Bands Wristbands, a nightlife marketing company, best known as the exclusive monthly provider of advertiser-branded wristbands to over 240 of the top nightclubs in the US. Since last year, Billboard Bands Wristbands has distributed over 12 million wristbands to nightclubs and music venues in all top 21 US markets.
WHY is a nonprofit organization co-founded by the late singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, and radio talk show host and present Executive Director Bill Ayres in 1975. WHY is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. WHY challenges society to confront these problems by advancing models that create self-reliance, economic justice, and equal access to nutritious and affordable food.