Who: Food Banks Canada, with The Local Collective.

What: A new ad campaign to raise the final $70 million needed to reach the non-profit’s goal of $150 million.

When & Where: The campaign is heavy on donated digital and social inventory, plus some donated outdoor space from Pattison.

Why: Because the near-complete shutdown of the economy and the spike in unemployment resulting from the pandemic is almost certainly going to lead to a huge increase in demand for food bank services.

“We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the Great Recession, and that was more than a decade ago,” said Food Banks Canada CEO Chris Hatch. “Now we have to brace ourselves for an even greater surge over the coming months, with many food banks across Canada already reporting spikes in client visits.”

At the same time, charities have to deal with “COVID-19 fatigue,” so a new campaign was needed to remind Canadians that many people will need help feeding themselves and their families even when the economy starts to slowly re-open.

How: A creative campaign built around the words “I Ate.” Simple, boldly coloured creative spells out “I Ate” within words like “Donate” (See below.) “Every person should have the ability to say ‘I Ate,’ every day, as often as they need to,” said The Local Collective’s chief creative officer, Matt Litzinger. “And that is our mission, with your help and all of our help we can make sure every family, friend and person can say this powerful phrase.”

And we quote: “The problem Food Banks Canada is trying to solve—eliminating hunger—was already massive in scale before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. We knew that in the face of this crisis, they would need a much bolder approach than usual to meet their fundraising goal.” —Matt Litzinger, The Local Collective.