• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 10, 2009

With forecasters predicting a dismal back-to-school season, retailers are stepping up their cause-related marketing efforts.

Macy's, for example, is going all out for its joint effort with Feeding America, designed to fund 10 million meals for hungry Americans. Called "Come Together," the campaign breaks next month, and encourages people to host special dinners in their homes, "asking guests to pledge a donation to Feeding America in lieu of the traditional host gift," the company says.

Macy's will match these donations until the total goal of 10 million meals is reached.

TV ads -- breaking in mid-September -- will include 30- and 60-second versions, and will feature such Macy's luminaries as Jessica Simpson, Queen Latifah, Mariah Carey, Usher, Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, Tommy Hilfiger and Donald Trump enjoying a meal together after the store has closed. A Spanish-language spot also stars TV star Carlos Ponce.

The campaign will also include print ads, direct mail, magazines, in-store signage, an online microsite, customer e-mails, outreach via social media, and more than 50 in-store culinary events and fashion parties across the country, the company says, and will feature chefs from its Macy's Culinary Council. Its microsite, www.macys.com/ cometogether, will provide recipes, dinner party fashions, invitations, themes, and music.

To kick off the event, the store says it plans to host the world's largest dinner party on September 15, during New York Fashion Week, with a VIP event at its flagship store. (Stewart and Lagasse will host.) Similar events will occur at 650 full-line Macy's stores across the country.

In addition to raising money by hosting a meal or donating, the chain will also host a Shop for a Cause day on October 17, donating a portion of the $5 in-store ticket sales to Feeding America.

JC Penney, meanwhile, says it has re-launched a Round-Up progam for its customers, which allows shoppers to "round-up" purchases to the nearest whole dollar, and donate the difference to the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. The fund is dedicated to afterschool enrichment, and since its launch in 2001, the fund has raised more than $70 million to support the afterschool cause nationwide. Last year's round-up raised $3.3 million in contributions.

While most retailers have been struggling, mid-tier department stores like Macy's and Penney have been especially battered. In July, Macy's announced that its comparable-store sales fell 10.7%; sales at the Plano, Tex.-based Penney declined 12.3%.