The Daily Tell

Over the course of the next 10 years, Campbell Soup Company will spend $10 million in an effort to lower obesity and hunger rates among children in Campden, New Jersey, the brand's hometown. It aims to lower the obesity rate of the town's 23,000 children by 50 percent by focusing on providing access to healthy and affordable food, expanding the availability of physical activity and education, increasing participation in these programs and boosting nutrition and health education.

A large percentage of school-age children in Camden are enrolled in the town's free school breakfast and lunch program, the company said. For children between the ages of 3 and 19, the obesity rates are approximately 40 percent, a figure that is above the national average of 32 percent. Thirty five percent of Camden children between 3- and 5-years-old are overweight or obese, in comparison to the nation's average of 21 percent, and 44 percent of Hispanic children in the town are overweight or obese, compared to the national rate of 38 percent.

"We plan to concentrate our efforts on these sites in Camden and gradually expand to other locations until we have a city-wide program in place," said Denise Morrison, Campbell's chief operating officer.

"We're excited about launching this important program, and, over time, we plan to extend it to other U.S. communities where we have operations," she added.

The company will partner with local agencies and nonprofit organizations to help reach its goals. It will add a second major grocery store in the city – currently, Camden has only one. It will also work with Food Trust to develop a Health Corner Store Network to bring fresh produce to independent stores and will fund the YMCA's Coordinated Approach to Child Health afterschool program. The initiative promotes healthy food choices and physical activity among children from preschool through the eighth grade.

Over the course of the next 10 years, Campbell Soup Company will spend $10 million in an effort to lower obesity and hunger rates among children in Campden, New Jersey, the brand's hometown. It aims to lower the obesity rate of the town's 23,000 children by 50 percent by focusing on providing access to healthy and affordable food, expanding the availability of physical activity and education, increasing participation in these programs and boosting nutrition and health education.

A large percentage of school-age children in Camden are enrolled in the town's free school breakfast and lunch program, the company said. For children between the ages of 3 and 19, the obesity rates are approximately 40 percent, a figure that is above the national average of 32 percent. Thirty five percent of Camden children between 3- and 5-years-old are overweight or obese, in comparison to the nation's average of 21 percent, and 44 percent of Hispanic children in the town are overweight or obese, compared to the national rate of 38 percent.

"We plan to concentrate our efforts on these sites in Camden and gradually expand to other locations until we have a city-wide program in place," said Denise Morrison, Campbell's chief operating officer.

"We're excited about launching this important program, and, over time, we plan to extend it to other U.S. communities where we have operations," she added.

The company will partner with local agencies and nonprofit organizations to help reach its goals. It will add a second major grocery store in the city – currently, Camden has only one. It will also work with Food Trust to develop a Health Corner Store Network to bring fresh produce to independent stores and will fund the YMCA's Coordinated Approach to Child Health afterschool program. The initiative promotes healthy food choices and physical activity among children from preschool through the eighth grade.

Head of Global Health to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Tachi Yamada, signed on with the world's richest philanthropic organization in 2006 with the understanding that he would only stay for five years. In five years a person can be "energetic, enthusiatic, innovative and very, very engaged," Yamada said in an interview with The Seattle Times. However, the medical leader now believes that his time is up and the organization will benefit more from someone new. In June, someone else will fill his role.

His role as Head of Global Health has gained him a spot as one of Forbes magazine's most powerful figures in medicine. He helped grow the Gates Foundation, tripling its staff, and under his leadership, in 2009, its health programs accounted for $1.8 billion of its $3 billion in grants. Yamada also saw to it that the organization changed the way it approached diseases and public health conditions that affect the poor. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also honed its focus on vaccine development as a cost-efficient way to tackle diseases in developing countries, according to the newspaper.

"He came with a strong product development background at [GlaxoSmithKline], which made him think about outcomes and products and milestones … in a way that academics don't often think," said Dr. Roger Glass, director of the Fogarty International Center, a federal global health research center, to the source.

Yamada's departure from the Gates Foundation shouldn't negatively impact the organization. Currently, it is searching for eligible candidates to replace the Head of Global Health, who plans on doing something "substancial" in Japan, his native country.

The Walmart Foundation and Goodwill have teamed up to support single mothers through a program that will help them find employment and succeed at work in order to support their families. The program, Beyond Jobs, will be funded by a $2.5 million grant from Walmart, and will be hosted by Goodwill in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit and New York City through 2012.

In addition to training and placing participants in jobs, Beyond Jobs will help single mothers to remain successful by creating an individual plan outlining their responsibilities and how they can advance their careers in order to sustain financial stability for themselves and their families. Beyond Job participants will receive a career assessment, personal career planning, job skills training and job placement. They will also receive financial education, family strengthening services, child care assistance, educational services and support in nutritional initiatives on a continuing basis.

The U.S. Census Bureau revealed that 26 percent of children grow up with single mothers, many of whom face financial and employment struggles. In fact, single mothers are twice as likely to be unemployed than their married counterparts. During the recession, the number of unemployed single mothers rose to 12.3 percent, which was the highest rate ever recorded by the National Women's Law Center.

"Now more than ever, we are looking for ways to provide opportunities for those who are out of work and facing tough times," said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation.

"This grant to Goodwill will support single mothers across the country by assuring they have access to gaining the necessary skills for today’s jobs. We are pleased to support this project because it gives single mothers the opportunity to continue to play a vital role in the workforce while providing for themselves and their families," she added.

The UPS Foundation will disperse $7 million in grants to more than 80 nonprofit organizations that work to support diverse populations. The funding was awarded through its diversity initiative and will help support programs that develop leadership skills, promote education and include all individuals. The UPS Foundation's diversity program aims to attract and retain employees and provide development to groups through programs such as Women's Leadership Development and Diversity Leadership Development.

"UPS's commitment to developing women and minorities is a pledge that extends beyond philanthropy and into [our] approach to business," said Eduardo Martinez, director of philanthropy and corporate relations at the foundation.

"We are pleased to support these organizations in pursuing their missions and goals as they work to positively impact citizens throughout our community with education and leadership development opportunities," he added.

Grant recipients include the National Council of La Raza, which was awarded $900,000 in order to expand its regional network of community-based organizations. Girls Inc. was awarded $150,000 for its Leadership and Community Action Program and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation was extended $100,000 to fund a project that will encourage workplace inclusion practices.

Additionally, the UPS Foundation will give $155,000 to the NAACP to support its Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, which is a year-long program that encourages the achievement, recruitment and stimulation of African-American students to boost their academic and cultural achievements. It will also use the funding to defray the expenses of its national conference and Spingarn Dinner, which is held annually.

Other organizations receiving grants include the National Federation of the Blind, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Urban League, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Human Rights Campaign.

Last year saw the smallest amount of giving from the country's most generous donors and philanthropists in 10 years, according to a survey by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The nation's 50 top donors donated a combined total of $3.3 billion in charitable gifts and pledges, despite more than 50 billionaires committing their fortunes to charity via Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge.

Seventeen of the source's annual list of 50 most generous donors also appeared on Forbes magazine's list of the top 400 richest Americans. Of the 54 donors on last year's list of top donors, only nine extended more than $100 million – in comparison with the eight in 2009, 16 in 2008 and 2007 and 18 in 2006.

The median charitable gift made was $39.6 million, a figure down from $41.4 million the year before, $69.3 million in 2008 and $74.4 million in 2007.

At the top of the list was George Soros, a hedge fund manager who donated $332 million to his Open Society Foundations and Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, who gave $279.2 million to approximately 1,000 charities. Other top donors include T. Denny Sanford, a businessman who extended $162.5 million to health and medical organizations and Irwin M. Jacobs, the founder of Qualcomm, and his wife, Joan, who donated $119.5 million.

Additionally, the survey revealed that giving changed based on generations. Almost half of the gifts that were more than $5 million were to higher education institutions, primarily extended by donors over the age of 50. Younger donors were more apt to give to other causes.

"I can think of no less needy charity than Harvard,” said Whitney Tilson, a 44-year-old hedge-fund manager and graduate of Harvard, who expects major giving to change.

"I have to struggle to think of anyone in my age group who has given big money to a traditional charity."

Google has recently announced a social endeavor to improve education for Indian children. Through an alliance with the Bharti Foundation, the search engine is extending $5 million to the India-based charitable sector of Bharti Enterprises in an effort to update and establish 50 elementary schools in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Annually, Google donates $150 million in support of education, healthcare and other initiatives. However, this marks the search engine's first charitable effort within India. The funding will help set up new middle schools and upgrade primary schools to the elementary level. The Bharti Foundation aims to create approximately 500 primary schools and 50 secondary schools within India. All of the new schools will be called the Satya Elementary Schools.

"Globally, Google donates about $150 million every year to support various initiatives," said Nikesh Arora, Google's chief business officer.

"This is our first such initiative in India, and we hope to continue the good work," he added.

The Bharti Foundation offers education to children living within underprivileged, rural communities and runs one senior secondary program and 236 primary programs. The new schools will focus on poor children, especially girls, and Google's funding will be used to organize middle schools. Within the next academic year, 15 new primary schools and four senior secondary schools are expected to open.

Google's charitable gift falls under its global philanthrophic initiative.

PepsiCo's $20 million online charitable giving contest has been receiving complaints regarding vote-rigging and, in an effort to combat them, will be revamping its strategies.

The Pepsi Refresh Project was launched during last year's Super Bowl, when it opted to spend the $20 million not on 30-second commercial spots but on extending grants, ranging from $5,000 to $250,000, to four hundred nonprofit organizations. The company claims the contest's execution went smoothly, although the competition was heated. Various sectors, including community organizers, health interest groups and religious organizations formed alliances in an attempt to dominate the voting.

As a response, Pepsi is eliminating its $250,000 grant category, which is the largest draw for most organizations, which the company hopes will make the competition more democratic. The brand is also aiming to boost sales, which have been on the decline over the throughout the past decade and during the first nine months of last year. In order to better market the contest, Pepsi will promote it on bottles, cans and on bottle caps, offering up to one hundred votes.

The endeavor did not help boost the brand's sales, but it did help to engage consumers. More than 76 million votes were cast via Twitter and Facebook.

"This was not a corporate philanthropy effort," Shiv Singh, head of digital for PepsiCo Americas Beverages, told the New York Times.

"This was using brand dollars with the belief that when you use these brand dollars to have consumers share ideas to change the world, the consumers will win, the brand will win, and the community will win. That was a big bet. No one has done it on this scale before," he added.

Nearly five years ago, Larry Page, Google's co-founder, made the announcement that the company would commit approximately 1 percent of its profits and equity and a portion of its employees' time to a philanthropic initiative, Google.org or, more simply known as DotOrg.

The endeavor was intended to address issues such as climate change, global poverty and the spread of pandemic diseases, according to the New York Times. It would be unconventional and operate partially as a business in order to free itself from the confines of a nonprofit organization. Google hired public health expert and TED Prize recipient Larry Brilliant to head up the effort, despite the fact that Brilliant had never lead a charitable organization. In 2008, Google said it would commit $175 million between the next three to 5 years to areas that DotOrg would work with.

Google held up its end of the deal and annually committed millions of dollars to charity, meeting its 1 percent giving goal. However, in 2008, DotOrg suspended all grants that weren't final after reviewing the organization's operations and faced organizational challenges. One of it's leaders left to join Facebook, Brilliant was let go from the organization for poor management skills and company morale was at an all-time low.

"We are a startup," said DotOrg's latest head, Megan Smith, to the New York Times.

"The aspirational goals in the founding of DotOrg are long term. Our hope is to get to that point where we could have the impact that our founders hoped," she added.

The organization has now honed its focus. It supports engineering-related projects, most of which grow from existing Google products, such as using Google Earth to track environmental trends and monitoring its search results for virus and disease searches. Despite its challenges and change in approach, its philanthropic ambitions remain constant.

Wall Street executives have upped their charitable donations to nonprofit organizations within New York City for the first time in three years, according to Reuters. With well-heeled New Yorkers seeing an increase in funds once again, many executives have resumed their giving. In 2008, 2009 and the first six months of 2010, this demographic was in poor attendance at charitable galas and auctions, key events for nonprofits.

According to Stephanie Astic, a fundraising event planner for nonprofits such as Room To Grow at high-end New York venues, the New York elite are expected to raise a certain amount of capital from their network, usually in the $100,000 to $200,000 range, Reuters said.

Organizations such as the United Way of New York City are anticipating a 30 percent increase in giving from Wall Street executives and other financial industry leaders this year, but this doesn't mean all nonprofits are in the clear. Tuesday's Children, a nonprofit that supports children of 9/11 victims, said that 2008 and 2009 were "excruciating" and "challenging" years, respectively, but donations are on the rise once again.

"Philanthropy tends to lag recessions by six months to two years. I expect there to be a slow recovery, I don't see giving taking off," said Chuck Longfield of Blackbaud, a company that produces monthly giving indexes, to Reuters.

For some, philanthropy was forced to the bottom of the list during the economic recession out of necessity. Chris Page, who advises companies and individuals on philanthropy, reported a cautious increase in giving among his Wall Street clients, finding the strongest support to be for social services and those affected most by the economy. Artistic and cultural organizations tend to see the least amount of donations, Page said.