• by Steve Ellwanger , May 7, 2020

Panera Bread’s “Together Without Hunger” campaign to provide at least 500,000 meals to needy, home-restricted families is getting a boost from teen recording artist Livingston.

After hearing about “Together Without Hunger,” Livingston recorded a song titled “Say The Word,” which was inspired by the humanitarian crisis created by COVID-19.

In this campaign video, Livingston’s song is accompanied by images of empty streets and playgrounds, children wearing medical masks, Panera kitchens and food banks supplied by the Feeding America organization.

In a separate video, the 17-year-old vocalist explains his motivation for getting involved with the campaign.

A portion of the proceeds from downloads and streams of “Say The Word” will benefit Feeding America—with which Panera has partnered for “Together Without Hunger” along with DKMS, which is the world's largest bone marrow and blood stem cell donor center.

Livingston signed a recording contract with Elektra Records in February, as reported by Music Connection. When he learned of the Panera campaign, “It reminded me of lyrics I had recently written about identifying with other peoples’ pain and the value of asking for help, which resonated more now than ever,” Livingston said in a statement issued by Panera.

“We love Livingston’s powerful message in this song. It speaks to the times and to the responsibility we have to each other,” Panera CMO Chris Hollander tells Marketing Daily. “Our hope is that this song inspires us all to come together during this challenging time to raise awareness around the hunger crisis at hand."

In addition to making its own financial contributions to Feeding America, Panera is using social media to encourage people to make $3 donations at TogetherWithoutHunger.org and then spread the word to friends and family via its #SeeAPlateFillAPlate challenge on Instagram. 

Feeding America estimates that an additional 17.5 million people could face hunger in the next six months—resulting in an increased need for food assistance in U.S. communities to almost 54 million.

Panera has sent emails to 38 million MyPanera loyalty program members and has enlisted the pro bono support of Kim Kardashian, Deepak Chopra and other notables to publicize “Together Without Hunger” and #SeeAPlateFillAPlate.