One Direction's Drum Kit Giveaway To Help End Extreme Poverty In Rwanda Through Food for the Hungry Effort

Food for the Hungry and One Direction drummer Josh Devine partner to benefit Rwandan community through education, better water systems, new classrooms & more


Nashville, Tenn. (November 2, 2016) — Platinum-selling band One Direction has toured the globe, selling out stadiums packed with cheering supporters, and now fans have the chance to win the drum kit seen by millions on stage while helping fight extreme poverty in Rwanda through Food for the Hungry's The Hardest Places sweepstakes

Drummer Josh Devine with One Direction band mates

Drummer Josh Devine with One Direction band mates

One Direction's drummer, Josh Devine, has donated his Mapex Saturn IV drum kit, featured in the films This Is Us (2013) and Up All Night: The Live Tour (2014), to help raise money for Food for the Hungry's life-changing work in Nyagihanga, Rwanda. With one hundred percent of proceeds going to meet the immediate needs of those in the community, fans can enter the sweepstakes here by donating one dollar or more until December 31, 2016. 

"This will probably be the best thing you ever do. I promise," Devine said of supporting Food for the Hungry's efforts.

After learning about the organization's impactful mission, Devine sponsored a Rwandan child named Evaride, with monthly financial gifts helping pull Evaride and his community out of extreme poverty. Devine recently traveled to Rwanda, where he met Evaride and his family for the first time.

Deeply moved by the experience, Devine chose to become a Food for the Hungry ambassador to the community of Nyagihanga, Rwanda, which has many needs such as adequate school facilities, including proper kitchens and bathrooms, healthy water systems and better farming practices. Wanting to do more to help, Devine donated his world-famous One Direction drum kit to help raise money to meet the needs of the community in Nyagihanga. 

Devine with his sponsor child Evaride

Devine with his sponsor child Evaride

To learn more about Devine's involvement with Food for the Hungry, and to see he and Evaride meet for the first time, watch the video below.

For additional information, visit thehardestplaces.com.


About Food For The Hungry
The world is hungry, but the emptiness goes far beyond the table. The need is physical and spiritual. People hunger for opportunity, starve for resources, and have been stripped of value. These injustices keep us up at night. IT’S NOT OK. AND YET HOPE REMAINS. We seek to end ALL forms of human poverty by going into the hard places and closely walking with the world’s most vulnerable people. We actively partner with churches, leaders, and families to build transformational relationships, usher justice, and renew communities so God’s purpose is revealed in each person we serve. Our view of poverty is holistic and complex. Our solutions are innovative and community-specific. We courageously seek out the overlooked and advocate for the underserved. We’re unrelenting and we do what others claim can’t be done. We honor the people we serve by inviting them to contribute to the process. Through community-owned transformation we empower children, families and communities to invest in their own development. More than anything, we want to see people thrive. We are agents of change. We work, we feed, we teach, we love, but we know when it’s time to leave. We are ending poverty, together.

Get Connected With Food for the Hungry
website: www.fh.org

About Josh Devine
Josh Devine is a drummer, singer and songwriter best known as the drummer for One Direction. But a young boy in Rwanda knows him only as his sponsor. Josh has been sponsoring Evaride since 2014 and recently had the opportunity to meet Evaride. Evaride lives in a community called Gisanga which has been served by Food for the Hungry for the past 10 years, and is celebrating their self-sufficiency and rise out of extreme poverty through graduation this year. Josh is thrilled to have played a part in ending extreme poverty in Gisanga and wants to help other communities experience the same freedom and celebration. Josh is asking you to join him in supporting Food for the Hungry as partner with the community of Nyagihanga. This school is in desperate need of adequate school facilities, including proper kitchens and bathrooms, healthy water systems and better farming practices. Nyagihanga currently has 1,200 children who need a sponsor. Through child sponsorship with Food for the Hungry, you can help Nyagihanga escape extreme poverty and sing celebrations of strength. Join Josh as he advocates for the world’s most vulnerable people.

 

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Media Contact
Kirsten Grenier & Velvet Kelm
the media collective
kirsten@themcollective.com
velvet@themcollective.com
615-591-7989
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MercyMe's Welcome To The New Receives RIAA Gold Certification

MercyMe pictured with the Brickhouse Entertainment and Fair Trade Services' teams.

MercyMe pictured with the Brickhouse Entertainment and Fair Trade Services' teams.

The band garners four hits from highly praised record

New project set to release in 2017


Nashville, Tenn. (Oct. 28, 2016) - GRAMMY® Nominated MercyMe's Welcome To The New (2014) has been honored with RIAA Gold Certification, marking the sixth gold album for the band in addition to a double platinum album and a platinum video. Welcome To The New earned two GRAMMY® nods, multiple GMA Dove Award honors and an American Music Award nomination. In addition, the album boasts three No. 1 singles with "Greater," "Flawless" and "Dear Younger Me," and one Top 5 single with "Shake." MercyMe is planning to unveil a new record in 2017.

"In a day when receiving a gold record has become so rare, we are humbled and honored that our fans have supported this album in such a way," shares the band.


MercyMe is currently headlining dates nationwide, with holiday shows starting at the end of November. For the latest on MercyMe, visit www.mercyme.org.

About MercyMe
Since their debut in 2001, GRAMMY®-nominated, multiple American Music Award and Dove Award winners MercyMe have sold more than 9 million units in CD, single and DVD sales, garnered 27 No. 1 multi-format Christian radio singles and four consecutive mainstream radio hits with “I Can Only Imagine,” (No. 4 AC/Top 25 on Top 40/Hot AC), “Here With Me” (No. 4 AC), “Homesick” (Top 10 AC) and “So Long Self.” Their radio success has continued with recent singles “Flawless" (No. 1 for 15 weeks) and "Greater" (No. 1 for 16 weeks), landing them the Top Christian Airplay Artist spot on Billboard's 2015 Year End charts. MercyMe made history in 2014 as “I Can Only Imagine” surpassed 2 million digital downloads, making it the first song in Christian music to go platinum and double-platinum in the digital domain. In 2009, Billboard named MercyMe's "Word Of God Speak" the No. 1 Song of The Decade and the group the No. 1 Artist of the Decade in both the Christian Songs and Christian AC Songs categories, recognizing them as one of the industry's most notable talents. They have sold out venues throughout the US and Canada, including Radio City Music Hall, and have appeared on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, FOX New Channel's FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News and in the pages of Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, USA Today and more. Their latest project MercyMe, It’s Christmas! (2015) debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Holiday Albums chart and became an instant Christmas classic. MercyMe’s eighth studio album, Welcome To The New, garnered two GRAMMY® nods and continues to be a top selling title.

Get Connected With MercyMe
www.mercyme.org
www.facebook.com/mercyme
www.twitter.com/mercyme
www.instagram.com/themercyme
www.youtube.com/user/mercymevideo
 

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Media Contact
the media collective
Velvet Kelm & Courtney Hyder
velvet@themcollective.com
courtney@themcollective.com
(615) 591-7989
www.themcollective.com