UNIQUE EA SPORTS MADDEN NFL 21 FORMAT PAIRS NFL PLAYERS WITH MADDEN PROS AS “CHAMPION” COACHES
New York, NY, Nov. 30, 2020—GENYOUth and Campbell’s® Chunky®, the Official Soup Sponsor of the NFL, announced today a dynamic esports initiative to help tackle hunger in schools. The Chunky Million Meals Challenge Madden NFL 21 presented by Target tournament will be played in EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 21 and deliver 100 million meals to alleviate food insecurity among school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Campbell’s Chunky and Target leading the charge to get the Challenge off to a strong start. The Chunky Million Meals Challengetournament is encouraging the gaming community to “game for good” and support GENYOUth and its partners in this important cause.
The Challenge is a free-to-enter open invitation tournament powered byCSL Esports which provides students across North America with life-changing opportunities through esports. Throughout the tournament’s top eight bracket, NFL players like New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson– as well as Madden NFL competitive pros – will serve as “Champions of Chunky,” team captains who will coach and mentor the final eight competitors as they face off for uniquely experiential prizes provided by the NFL, EA Sports, CSL Esports and sponsors. Tournament registration begins Dec. 1, on Giving Tuesday, with tournament play beginning on Saturday, Dec. 19.
“The support of the esports community, EA SPORTS Madden NFL, Campbell’s Chunky, Target and other purpose-minded brands and organizations including Doritos and America’s Dairy Farmers will accelerate GENYOUth’s commitment to feed our nation’s kids,” said Alexis Glick, CEO of GENYOUth. “COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on schools, as they are in desperate need of equipment and resources to feed the one in four children who now live in food insecurity. For many kids, school meals are their only access to daily nourishment.”
“The work GENYOUth is doing to fight hunger is more important now than ever,” said Linda Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, Meals & Beverages, Campbell Soup Company. “We want to find the most effective ways to support those in need, and a great way to do that is to grab people’s attention with a fun and unique esports tournament. We can’t wait to see the Madden players and our Champions of Chunky face off for this wonderful cause.”
“GENYOUth is an important partner for CSL Esports as one of our core missions is to bridge any digital and economic divide that may exist to engage students and introduce them to educational or career opportunities in the emerging esports industry,” said Wim Stocks, Chairman, CSL Esports. “The Chunky Million Meals Challenge is a unique gaming experience that will help us alleviate hunger among school-aged children. We support and celebrate partners like GENYOUth to help us further impact the lives of children and inspire them to learn to play competitively leading to higher education possibilities through esports and gaming.”
About the Chunky Million Meals Challenge:
The top eight finalists from the qualifying stage will be drafted by an NFL player and a Madden NFL pro, who will serve as Champions and coach their finalist through the remainder of the competition. While NFL players will provide their on-field football knowledge, the Madden NFL pros will be the real experts on offering gaming insights, as they “play the game” for a living. Depending on performance, this may be a make-or-break opportunity for the amateur players to launch their Madden NFL careers in front of pros from on and off the field.
To register for the Chunky Million Meals Challenge,visit millionmealschallenge.com. Open qualifiers occur over two weekends: Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20, and again on Saturday, Dec. 26 and Sunday, Dec. 27. NFL-hungry fans can watch the draft and follow all the game action in the Chunky Million Meals Challenge Finals, which will be scheduled for late January across the NFL’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.
Throughout the tournament, viewers will be encouraged to donate to GENYOUth to help tackle food insecurity among the nation’s children at https://give.softgiving.com/millionmealschallenge or by texting MEALS to 20222 for a one-time $25 donation. Each $25 donation provides schools with critical equipment/supplies to serve 1,250 meals, helping to reach the goal of delivering 100 million meals!
Additional Chunky Million Meals Challenge support is being provided by America’s Dairy Farmers and Doritos with headphones contributed by Bose.
Campbell’s Chunky has also been doubling down on gaming recently, partnering with EA SPORTS on Chunky-themedgear and challenges within Madden NFL 21 and the Champions of Chunky Yard Invitational tournament this Saturday, Dec. 5.
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To learn more about Campbell’s Chunky soup and Champions of Chunky, fans can visit www.Chunky.com, Twitter.com/CampbellsChunky and YouTube.com/ChunkySoup.
About Campbell Soup Company
Campbell (NYSE: CPB) is driven and inspired by our Purpose, “Real food that matters for life’s moments.” For generations, people have trusted Campbell to provide authentic, flavorful and affordable snacks, soups and simple meals, and beverages. Founded in 1869, Campbell has a heritage of giving back and acting as a good steward of the planet’s natural resources. The company is a member of the Standard and Poor’s 500 and the FTSE4Good Index. For more information, visit www.campbellsoupcompany.com or follow company news on Twitter via @CampbellSoupCo.
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at nearly 1,900 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of its profit to communities, which today equals
Millions of dollars a week. For the latest store count or more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.
GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that creates healthier school communities. We convene a network of private and public partners, including Fortune 100 companies and foundations, to raise funds for youth wellness initiatives that give youth the inspiration, motivation and programs to be healthy high-achieving students. GENYOUth’s flagship program, Fuel Up to Play 60, enrolls over 73,000 U.S. schools, reaching over 38 million students. Our school nutrition grants increase access to healthy school meals among food insecure students. NFL FLAG-In-School is GENYOUth’s fastest growing program with over 24,000 school communities reaching over 13 million students, while AdVenture Capital brings out the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of students with the support of corporate mentors to solve real world problems. For more information about GENYOUth, visit www.genyouthnow.org.
CSL Esports
CSL Esports provides life-changing opportunities in education through esports. Working directly with High Schools, Universities, and Alumni associations, CSL Esports provides turnkey solutions for schools and students to compete and learn valuable skills in the rapidly expanding esports industry. Since 2009 CSL Esports has been North America’s largest collegiate esports business, providing over $1 million in scholarships while partnering with over 1,800 educational institutions under its premier tournament series, Collegiate StarLeague. www.cslesports.com
