REDMOND, Wash. — June 10, 2009 — 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 are joining forces to fight hunger in the United States through the “Browser for the Better” campaign. For every completed download of Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft’s Browser for the Better campaign (running today 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.
(From right to left) Television actor Dean Cain and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait team up with Microsoft’s Browser for the Better campaign in which each completed download of Internet Explorer 8 results in a donation of eight meals to Feeding America.
“This summer, millions of families throughout the U.S. are living on the brink of hunger. 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,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.
The Browser for the Better campaign kicks off today at New York City’s Time Warner Center and San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza. Artists at each location will use food cans to sculpt the likenesses of the Empire State Building and Golden Gate Bridge, respectively. Once the sculptures are completed, the cans of food will be donated to the Food Bank for New York City, City Harvest in New York, and the San Francisco Food Bank, all members of Feeding America. Also part of the campaign is 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.”
The Browser for the Better campaign features the better browser, Internet Explorer 8. Launched in March, Internet Explorer 8 offers leading-edge security features in addition to ease of use and improved performance. A recent NSS Labs study shows Internet Explorer 8 as being No. 1 among all modern browsers in malware protection, and the built-in privacy protections in Internet Explorer 8 offer users more choice and control. More information about Browser for the Better and Internet Explorer 8 is available at http://browserforthebetter.com.
“Canhattan”– a mini-New York City skyline was created at the Time Warner Center as part of the Internet Explorer 8 Browser for the Better campaign. Four thousand cans of food were used in the sculpture of the Empire State Building and surrounding cityscape as part of a national campaign sponsored by Microsoft and Feeding America to drive awareness of the plight of the hungry, particularly needy school-age children who will be on summer vacation and lose access to school lunch programs. New York, June 10, 2009.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States. Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors. Our network of more than 200 food banks serves all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Feeding America network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. The Feeding America network supports approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies that distribute food directly to Americans in need. To learn more, please visit www.feedingamerica.org.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
* Only complete downloads of Internet Explorer 8 through http://www.browserforthebetter.com from June 8, 2009, through Aug. 8, 2009, qualify for the charitable donation to Feeding AmericaTM. Microsoft is donating $1.15 per download to Feeding AmericaTM, up to a maximum of $1,000,000. Meals are used for illustrative purposes only. Meal conversion is effective until June 30, 2010.
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