Agency leaders replicate weekend hunger to spark conversation and feed 1,600+ kids
SEATTLE, Dec. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DNA&STONE, the full-service agency that doesn’t flinch for brands that go there, is proud to announce the successful completion of its Hungry Weekend social campaign in partnership with Backpack Brigade, a Seattle-area nonprofit dedicated to ending weekend hunger for food-insecure children. The immersive initiative not only raised significant funds and awareness for the cause, but also exemplified DNA&STONE’s commitment to Radical Empathy in action.
Across Washington State, approximately 40,000 school-aged children live with food insecurity, relying on school-provided breakfasts and lunches Monday through Friday. The challenge arises during the weekend, when these children face a prolonged gap from Friday afternoon through Monday morning without nutritious food options. This is weekend hunger.
To better understand and highlight this reality, DNA&STONE’s four founders – Chris Witherspoon, Alan Brown, Michael Boychuk and Matt McCain – participated in “The Hungry Weekend“, a challenge that aims to replicate the experience of food-insecure children by surviving on just 1,200 calories of low-nutritional food from Friday after lunch to Monday morning breakfast. In contrast to many other fundraisers (e.g., ice bucket challenges or charity walks), this campaign connected the experience directly to the issue it aimed to address.
“Radical Empathy isn’t a slogan for us, it’s a challenge we give ourselves,” said McCain. “When you feel that gnawing emptiness in your stomach all weekend, even for just a few days, it’s more than a physical experience. Doing the Hungry Weekend forced me to sit with the same discomfort and anxiety thousands of kids in our state feel every weekend. Sharing that raw experience on social media wasn’t easy, but it sparked honest conversations and real action, because people could feel that the need – and the impact – is real.” McCain added, “We fully acknowledge that we have the privilege to choose to go hungry over the weekend, but many kids don’t get that control, and this isn’t just a one-weekend thing for them. But if we can raise awareness for what they go through, it’s worth it.”
The initiative included video documentation and storytelling across DNA&STONE’s social platforms, capturing authentic reflections and insights from the founders’ experiences, and the response was remarkable: it drove nearly an 8X increase in Backpack Brigade’s average daily donations during the campaign period, and the funds raised, along with DNA&STONE’s donation matching, will provide healthy weekend meals for more than 1,600 children, bringing critical support to families in need.
Backpack Brigade, founded in 2014, works tirelessly each school year to pack and deliver weekend hunger bags filled with nutritious, kid-friendly food to over 5,200 food-insecure kids in 105 schools in five school districts.
“We are deeply grateful for the support from DNA&STONE’s Hungry Weekend initiative,” said Nichelle Hilton, Executive Director and Founder of Backpack Brigade. “Not only did it raise essential funds, it helped broaden awareness of the everyday challenges these children face. That understanding is key to building empathy and lasting change.”
About DNA&STONEDNA&STONE is a full-service creative agency that doesn’t flinch—for brands that go there. Grounded in a proprietary strategic approach called Radical Empathy, DNA&STONE goes beyond just understanding, to feeling the experiences, perspectives and root causes that drive consumers and clients, resulting in work with deep emotional intelligence. DNA&STONE was recently named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year in 2025 and was shortlisted in Adweek’s 2025 Agency of the Year Awards. Clients include BECU, Amazon, Providence, MCU, and NBC News. To learn more about us, please visit www.dnaandstone.com.
About Backpack BrigadeBackpack Brigade is a Seattle-based nonprofit committed to ending weekend hunger for food-insecure children in King County. By providing nutritious weekend food bags to students through local schools, Backpack Brigade ensures children have access to meals when school is not in session.
Media Contact: Gabriella Schatz, [email protected]
SOURCE DNA&STONE
