Apr 23, 2008 6:01 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Amy Johannes

Country Crock is donating meals to needy people in exchange for consumer stories about improving family health.

Unilever’s Country Crock brand is out with a cause-marketing campaign that invites people to share their health improvement stories to benefit a national food bank network.

Country Crock’s “Small Changes” initiative lets visitors post stories about the little things they do to improve their families' health to YourFamilyTable.com. The effort dovetails on the brand’s launch its new Omega Plus spread product.

With each story shared, Omega Plus will donate a meal to a family in need through America's Second Harvest. Visitors can also download a 55-cent coupon off Omega Plus from the site by subscribing to the Country Crock newsletter.

The Small Changes campaign is an extension to an earlier program, Spread the Sharing, which garnered 1.2 million meals, the company said. The latest promotion is designed to contribute an additional 800,000 meals to reach 2 million donated meals, Anne-Michele Harrington, Country Crock brand manager, said.

Country Crock is getting some help from Grammy Award-winning singer Amy Grant on the campaign. Grant will appear on a half-hour TV show, “Small Changes,” along with other country musicians on April 24 at 8:30 p.m. on the Great American Country channel. The program, which will run through mid June, will focus on what the stars are doing to make positive differences in the lives of their families.

Grant will also launch a three-minute segment on the Food Network and Great American Country, where she pays a surprise visit to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Nashville and cooks a meal for volunteers and visitors from the community.

Small Changes stories will be collected and meals donated to America’s Harvest through yearend, Harrington said.

PR efforts, online marketing and a TV spot will support the campaign. Scripps Network is in charge of the Web site and TV programming development, Stone & Simons handles advertising, M Booth & Associates oversees PR and Mindshare works on online advertising.

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