More than 17 million children in the U.S. receive free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at their local public schools; as schools close for the summer, these children lose access to those programs. In response, Microsoft and Feeding America are joining forces to fight hunger in the United States through the "Browser for the Better" campaign.
For every completed download of Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft's Browser for the Better campaign (running today through September 30, 2009) will donate the financial equivalent of eight meals to Feeding America's network of 206 local food banks, which supplies food to more than 25 million Americans each year.
"This summer, millions of families throughout the U.S. are living on the brink of hunger. Demand for food is higher than it has been in decades. The Browser for the Better campaign is both raising awareness of hunger and giving people an easy opportunity to help their neighbors at no cost to them. It's a win-win arrangement for Microsoft, Feeding America and people all across the country," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization.
Microsoft will donate 16 meals instead of the usual 8 for every user upgrading from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft is committed to spending up to 1,000,000 dollars in this initiative.