LFG Campaign encourages members to lose for others

Weight Watchers “Lose for Good” Campaign Encourages Members to Lose for Others

Local North Olmsted Resident loses 150 pounds, donates 150 pounds of food to Cleveland Foodbank

100+ Weight Watchers Members and their families set to “5K/10K Walk for Others” This Sunday, October 24 in Strongsville to benefit Cleveland Foodbank

CLEVELAND, Ohio --- For the past two years, Weight Watchers members have shown that they can improve their health while helping those in need. In September, the company launched its third annual Lose For Good campaign, an initiative that fights hunger both locally and globally by increasing awareness of this important issue and helping to provide access to healthy food for those in need.

Locally, Weight Watchers members throughout the Greater Cleveland area have been participating in the Lose for Good Campaign in two ways: by losing weight and through food drives.

During the seven week campaign (September 5^th through October 23^rd), for each pound of weight that members lose, Weight Watchers will donate up to $1 million to two national hunger fighting organizations. The campaign has allowed members to not only lose the weight for good to help their own health efforts, but also to lose the weight to help others who are in need of food.

Weight Watchers members have also been participating in food drives locally to benefit the Cleveland Foodbank. Many members have donated food in the amount of weight that they have lost. During last year’s campaign, over 6,000 pounds of food was donated through local Weight Watchers meetings to the Cleveland Foodbank.

One local North Olmsted resident, Rose Perry, has lost more than 150 pounds through the Weight Watchers program. In honor of her significant weight loss achievement, she will be donating 150 pounds of food to the Cleveland Foodbank. Perry’s “Success Wall” will be displayed at the Weight Watchers Center in North Olmsted beginning this Saturday, October 23 when she makes her final donation to complete her total.

To celebrate the conclusion of the Lose for Good campaign, local Weight Watchers members will be using activity to support those less fortunate. This Sunday, October 24 at 2pm at Bonnie Park in Strongsville, WW Leader Stephanie Mueller will host a “5K & 10K Walk for Others” to benefit the Cleveland Foodbank. WW Members, along with their family, friends and pets are encouraged to attend and support the Lose for Good campaign. Participants are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Cleveland Foodbank. Mueller hosted a 5K Walk in June as part of Weight Watchers “Walk-It Challenge”. Over 100 people attended the event, many of whom would never have considered taking the challenge of completing a 5K without the encouragement from their fellow Weight Watchers meeting members.

Media representatives are welcome to attend the “5K/10K Walk for Others” this coming Sunday. There will be a pre-walk/run warm-up beginning at 1:45pm. The walk/run will begin at 2:00pm. Representatives from the Cleveland Foodbank will be on hand to accept the donations from the event participants as part of the Lose for Good campaign.

If media would like to visit the Weight Watchers North Olmsted Center to view Rose Perry’s “Success Wall”, they are encouraged to contact Stephanie Mueller to schedule a day/time. Stephanie Mueller can be reached at (440.879.8727 or stephanie@wwleader.com) for details.

National Lose for Good Campaign Details

Between September 5th and October 23rd, as Weight Watchers members and Online subscribers lose weight and participate in other activities, the company will donate up to $1 million to two leading hunger fighting organizations–Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. Through Lose For Good, Weight Watchers has donated more than $2 million to its charitable partners, and its members have donated over 3.5 million pounds of food to food banks nationwide.

"Almost one in four children in America faces hunger and will endure lifelong consequences as a result of having limited access to nutritious foods," said Billy Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. "Weight Watchers is an important ally in our fight to make sure no child in America grows up hungry. We're thankful for their dedication to our mission and the generous support they provide through the Lose For Good campaign."

"The Lose For Good campaign provides important support for our work to end hunger around the world," said Nan Dale, Executive Director of Action Against Hunger's U.S. headquarters. "As Americans strive to make healthier choices at home, this campaign offers a novel way for participants to help themselves while also helping save children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition."

Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning recording artist Jennifer Hudson is joining the effort and will take part in media appearances, as well as star in a national TV spot that encourages Americans to get healthy and give back. In September, Hudson will visit a New York City school as part of the campaign to help educate families on how to prepare healthy, low cost meals, while spreading the message that increasing access to healthy food is an important step in fighting both hunger and obesity.

"I am so proud to be a part of Lose For Good which encourages people to get healthy, something I've learned to do with the help of Weight Watchers, while at the same time giving back to those in need," explained Hudson. "There are kids in our own country and abroad who are growing up hungry, and as a mom, this breaks my heart. That's why I'm so happy to be involved in this campaign, where weight loss success can help others - it's a win for everyone!"

"Obesity and hunger have become two sides of the same coin in many economically depressed areas, and I'm proud that through Lose For Good, Weight Watchers, its members and its partners can have a positive impact reversing this troubling situation," said David Kirchhoff, President and CEO Weight Watchers International, Inc.

There are many ways to get involved and spread the message of Lose For Good:

• Visit the Lose For Good website: www.weightwatchers.com/loseforgood  
• Success Walls: Online subscribers and Community users will be encouraged to build "Success Walls" constructed of collected food that represent their weight loss.  They can then donate the food on or around October 23 (Donation Day) via an official Weight Watchers Meetup at a food bank or food drive by visiting www.meetup.com/weightwatchers.
• Lose For Good Tab on the Weight Watchers Facebook page: Visit www.facebook.com/weightwatchers for updated information and videos
• Action Tuesdays: On six Tuesdays during the campaign, Weight Watchers eTools subscribers and Weight Watchers Online subscribers will be invited to participate in specific tasks, and for each task, Weight Watchers will donate $1 to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger (up to $5,000 per Tuesday as part of the larger corporate donation) 
• Lose-A-Palooza: A one-day social media event taking place on September 14th that will help further spread the Lose For Good message.  Weight Watchers will donate $1 to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger for every accepted mention or acknowledgment of "Lose For Good" made on September 14th through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and check-ins via foursquare (up to $60,000 as part of the larger corporate donation)  
• Member Local Food Drives: Select Weight Watchers meeting locations will be holding local food drives throughout the duration of the campaign where members can donate food that will be given to local food banks

About Weight Watchers International, Inc.

Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds almost 50,000 meetings each week where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity. WeightWatchers.com provides innovative, subscription weight management products over the Internet and is the leading Internet-based weight management provider in the world. In addition, Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and programs for those interested in weight loss and weight control.

Cleveland Foodbank

The Cleveland Foodbank supplies a majority of the food used in local hot meal sites, shelters, and food pantries. In addition, we provide food to child care centers, group homes, and programs for the elderly. The Foodbank works closely with other Northeast Ohio hunger relief organizations, providing food and nonfood products to hunger centers administered by the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, the Catholic Hunger and Shelter Network, and the Salvation Army, among others.

About Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength(R), a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry Campaign(TM)--a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015--Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in effective federal nutrition programs, invests in community organizations fighting hunger, teaches families how to cook healthy meals on a budget, and builds public-private partnerships to end hunger, both nationally and at the state level. Working closely with the culinary industry and relying on the strength of its volunteers, Share Our Strength hosts innovative culinary fundraising events and develops pioneering cause marketing campaigns that support No Kid Hungry. Visit Strength.org to get involved in the No Kid Hungry Campaign.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger | ACF International is a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. Recognized as a leader in the fight against malnutrition, ACF works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger. With 30 years of expertise in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity, ACF runs life-saving programs in some 40 countries benefiting 5 million people each year.