Ending hunger is no easy task—but if any city can do it, it’s Chicago.

In June 2024, the Greater Chicago Food Depository partnered with fluent360 to launch We Can Beat This, a campaign designed to galvanize current donors and inspire new ones to come together to fight hunger.

We Can Beat This was born out of a reflection on Chicago’s remarkable history. This is the city that reversed the Chicago River—one of the greatest engineering feats in history—rebuilt after a devastating fire, endures extreme weather year after year, and has overcome political turmoil, all while remaining one of the best cities in the world.

In a fully integrated 360 campaign—including out-of-home, digital, social media, print, and three spots—we captured the voices of Chicagoans at temporary installations across the city. There, they shared how they feel about hunger. The installations featured powerful copy such as: “Chicagoans can beat anything. Let’s beat hunger now.” And: “The city that reversed a river can reverse hunger.”

We also included messaging in Spanish to further campaign reach.

To date, we’ve helped raise more than $25 million for the Food Depository. Not bad for a nimble agency from the Windy City.