Jennifer Nettles leads General Mills' Outnumber Hunger campaign

When Big Machine Music Group picked Jennifer Nettles to lead its Outnumber Hunger campaign with General Mills this year, it was a full circle moment for Scott Borchetta, the Nashville record label’s president and CEO.

Borchetta was the senior vice president for radio promotion at Universal Music Group when Sugarland, the country band Nettles rose through the ranks with, recorded its first record. Nettles has recently signed a record contract with Big Machine, and as one of their first projects together, she will be leading its Outnumber Hunger campaign, which puts the label’s artists on the packaging for General Mills products to raise money for local food banks across the country.

Borchetta recalled a lyric from the band’s first single, “Baby Girl,” about giving back.

“When you go back to the lyrics of ‘Baby Girl’ where the final verse says, ‘Dear Mom and Dad, I’ll send money,’ as in, ‘I’m sending money home. Thank you for helping me, now I’m giving back,’ ” Borchetta said. “It’s kind of a cool irony about Jennifer and I getting back together and one of the first things she’s doing is giving back, because she’s so grateful for how her career has turned out.”

The partnership between Big Machine and General Mills, along with the nonprofit organization Feeding America, is now in its fifth year. To date, the program has helped secure over 40 million meals.

Those who purchase a General Mills product, like Cheerios, with Nettles and other BMLG artists on the packaging can enter a code and their ZIP code online. Through Feeding America, Outnumber Hunger then secures the meals for a nearby food bank.

Nettles said it was meaningful to her to help lead a campaign that has a tangible impact on local food banks.

"The part of it I specifically found important and intriguing is it helps on a community level," Nettles said. "When you put this code into the Outnumber Hunger website, it doesn't randomly send five meals anywhere. So you know then you are making an impact on your own community. And that kind of grass-roots impact, but at a huge level that can be a countrywide level, is super compelling."

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General Mills' work with Feeding America dates back to 1978. Together, the three organizations are working to address a problem that Borchetta said he believes America should not be confronting as the wealthiest nation in the world. Recent statistics suggest 48 million Americans are not "meal secure" each day, including 15 million children.

"For us, the decision to confront the hunger epidemic in America is a simple one," said Jay Picconatto, director, General Mills. "As a leading food company in the United States, we feel a responsibility to help address the issue and give people an easy way to support the one in seven Americans struggling with hunger.”

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The campaign is vintage Big Machine, which has made its name spearheading creative partnerships that help its artists’ careers. Florida Georgia Line is among the popular Big Machine artists that have led the campaign in the past. Borchetta's company has been at the forefront of the music industry in terms of coming up with unique deals, including striking agreements with broadcast radio companies to pay his artists performance royalties when their songs are played on the radio, even though U.S. copyright law doesn't require broadcasters to do so.

Borchetta also partnered to release Zac Brown Band's album last year in a creative deal with Brown's Southern Ground Artists record label. Big Machine is the label home of Taylor Swift.

Nettles said it's Borchetta's creative deal making, like on the Outnumber Hunger campaign, which will put her photo on food packages in grocery stores across the country, that drove her to sign her record deal with Big Machine.

"Absolutely, that was part of why I was so excited to work with him again," she said.

Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.

About Outnumber Hunger

• Program pairs country artists on Big Machine Music Group with General Mills products to secure meals for local food banks. Products include Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grams, Cookie Crisp, Trix, Lucky Charms, Chex Mix, Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit Gushers, Hamburger Helper, Pillsbury and Old El Paso, among others

• In its fifth year, the program has already contributed 40 million meals to local food banks.

• 48 million Americans are "food insecure," including 15 million children.