Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Parichute Fight Food Insecurity with Professional Soccer Players: First-Ever Help Kick Hunger Challenge Kicks Off on Social Media Ahead of World Cup

The Help Kick Hunger Challenge unites the youth organization with players in many Major League Soccer (MLS), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and United Soccer League (USL) cities, raising awareness and funds to provide meals to millions of young people across America. Now through December 31, The Coca-Cola Company will also match all donations to the Help Kick Hunger Challenge to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, up to $50,000.

Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, together with Parichute, The Coca-Cola Company and players of many Major League Soccer (MLS), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and United Soccer League (USL) teams, launched the first-ever Help Kick Hunger Challenge to fight youth food insecurity in communities across the nation.

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Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides young people with meals, safe spaces, mentors and life-enhancing experiences on their journey to a great future. (Photo: Boys & Girls Clubs of America)

In America, 1 in 6 children experiences food insecurity, and throughout Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide, more than 60% of youth qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. Boys & Girls Clubs provide young people with meals, safe spaces, mentors and life-enhancing experiences on their journey to a great future.

Zack Steffen, Goalkeeper, Middlesbrough F.C. (on loan from Manchester City F.C.) and active supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs is calling on fans nationwide to help make an impact. Later this week, Steffen will kick off the Help Kick Hunger Challenge on Instagram, demonstrating his favorite soccer trick in acceptance of the challenge as he passes the ball to nominees Travis Fulgham (Green Bay Packers, NFL), Chris Frederick (Retired Professional Soccer Player, Entrepreneur) and JJ Watt (Arizona Cardinals, NFL) to donate and do the same.

“I had a lot of goals coming into this year and one of them was to continue to help children in need,” said Steffen. “It’s been a busy year for me and I’d like to finish it on a high note. In doing so, we created the Help Kick Hunger Challenge. No child should ever have to worry about their next meal, and this is an opportunity for the soccer community and others to support Boys & Girls Clubs of America to make a big difference in the lives of kids.”

This giving season, nearly 50 players from Major League Soccer teams are slated to join the challenge including USMNT’s Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC, Defender) and Tim Ream (Fulham, Defender) who will represent the United States in Qatar and pledge their support on social media with an exciting USA giveaway.

Additionally, now through December 31, The Coca-Cola Company will match all donations to Boys & Girls Clubs of America through the Help Kick Hunger campaign, up to $50,000, doubling the potential impact to keeping kids fed, fueled and focused on achieving their full potential.

“We know youth can thrive when they have access to healthy meals that keep them fueled and focused,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “We are honored to share nationwide support from Parichute, The Coca-Cola Company and the entire soccer community through the Help Kick Hunger Challenge as we work together to ensure today’s young people become the leaders, innovators and problem-solvers of tomorrow.”

Initially supporting Boys & Girls Clubs located in Major League Soccer markets, the Help Kick Hunger Challenge is calling on everyone to participate by sharing their own videos on social media, tagging @BGCA_Clubs and @Parichute and including #HelpKickHunger in their post. Participants are also encouraged to visit app.parichute.com/project/help-kick-hunger to donate to give young people in Clubs the meals and resources they need to thrive. After all, they’re the only next generation we’ve got.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America:

For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Nearly 5,000 Clubs serve over 3.6 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter.

About Parichute:

Parichute is a social crowdfunding platform founded by Zack Steffen (USMNT, Middlesbrough), Alex Crognale (Birmingham Legion), and Kyle Crognale (former TV anchor). It exists to change the way celebrities use their fame and following to advance philanthropic efforts around the world.

The platform provides tools that enable athletes, artists, creators, nonprofits, and community leaders to create their own personal Giving Platform, inspiring their circles of influence to donate to and amplify causes they care about. Parichute envisions a world where everyone is actively partnering with nonprofit organizations and working alongside others to make a difference within their community and beyond. Parichute also offers consulting services that aid in campaign conception, creation, implementation, and management services. Parichute works closely with celebrity partners, teams and nonprofits to maximize campaign impact.

About The Coca-Cola Company:

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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