More than 3,700 Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) employees will volunteer in 70 community projects as part of “Make a Difference Week,” Campbell’s annual week of service. During the week of Monday, April 11, employees will volunteer in Campbell’s hometown of Camden, N.J., and across 16 of the company’s other U.S. locations.

“Campbell employees around the world are dedicated to making a difference every day,” said Anthony Sanzio, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs. “This week, thousands of our people will invest their time and talent to help communities thrive.”

Make a Difference Week projects are focused on building and sustaining healthy communities in places where Campbell operates. In Camden, Campbell employees will participate in a variety of projects including:

• Packing meals at the Food Bank of South Jersey, Cathedral Kitchen and Stop Hunger Now;
• Revitalizing city parks with Coopers Ferry Partnership;
• Cooking and serving meals at the Ronald McDonald House of Southern NJ, New Visions Homeless Day Shelter and the Salvation Army;
• Gleaning produce for donation with the NJ Farmers Against Hunger; and
• Restoring neighborhood homes with St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society, Habitat for Humanity and the Heart of Camden.

Beyond Camden, Campbell is running a kids’ backpack program at 15 of its sites across the country, including its plants in Napoleon, Ohio, Bloomfield, Conn. and Maxton, N.C. The program aims to supply a backpack full of food to youth who are on the National School Lunch Program during the school week, but do not know where their next meal is coming from on the weekend. The backpacks are filled with fresh produce and shelf-stable items that can be easily prepared into full meals. The objective is to provide enough food to sustain one child through the weekend in each backpack. Filled backpacks will be donated to local food banks, elementary schools and recreation centers. Campbell expects to collect more than 3,500 backpacks full of food for children in need.

In recognition of the 4,000 hours that will be volunteered during the week, the Campbell Soup Foundation will distribute approximately $80,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations where Campbell employees will volunteer.

Campbell expanded national “Make a Difference Day” to “Make a Difference Week” nine years ago after a record number of employees expressed interest in volunteering. The following is a list of highlighted local activities for Make a Difference Week:

Monday, April 11
Stop Hunger Now
Campbell’s World Headquarters
1 Campbell Place
Camden, NJ
Dorrance Center
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Volunteers will sort and package food for donation.

Tuesday, April 12
Ronald McDonald House
550 MLK Blvd.
Camden, NJ
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Volunteers will cook breakfast for residents.

Wednesday, April 13
Coopers Ferry Partnership
Cornelius Martin Park
10th and Elm Streets
Camden, NJ
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Volunteers will clean up a neighborhood park including replacing wooded bleachers, drawing new basketball court lines and painting a concession stand.

Thursday, April 14
MANNA
2323 Ranstead Street
Philadelphia, PA
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Volunteers will cook and package meals for distribution to area residents with life-threatening illnesses.

Friday, April 15
Heart of Camden
1840 Broadway
Camden, NJ
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Volunteers will assist with home renovations.

About Campbell Soup Company

Campbell (NYSE:CPB) is driven and inspired by our Purpose, “Real food that matters for life’s moments.” We make a range of high-quality soups and simple meals, beverages, snacks and packaged fresh foods. For generations, people have trusted Campbell to provide authentic, flavorful and readily available foods and beverages that connect them to each other, to warm memories and to what’s important today. Led by our iconic Campbell’s brand, our portfolio includes Pepperidge Farm, Bolthouse Farms, Arnott’s, V8, Swanson, Pace, Prego, Plum, Royal Dansk, Kjeldsens and Garden Fresh Gourmet. 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 & Poor’s 500 and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. For more information, visit www.campbellsoupcompany.com or follow company news on Twitter via @CampbellSoupCo. To learn more about how we make our food and the choices behind the ingredients we use, visit www.whatsinmyfood.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160408005119/en/