By Kate Lollar Hancock Zynga Sows Sweet Seeds for Haitian Earthquake Relief
Zynga announced today they are launching another Sweet Seeds for Haiti campaign in FarmVille, the enormously popular Facebook farming game, and some other Zynga favorites like Mafia Wars and Zynga Poker.
Donations are needed more than ever to benefit victims of the recent earthquake disaster, and 100% of proceeds will go to Haiti (up from 50% in past Sweet Seeds campaigns). FarmVille players who give back will get back in return, in the form of exclusive in-game items (special Sweet Seeds and such).
Look for the Seeds to show up in the FarmVille marketplace soon - donating to a good cause couldn’t be easier (or tastier)! Here’s the full press release for more details:
SAN FRANCISCO – Jan. 14, 2010 – Starting tonight, Zynga (www.zynga.com) will run a special relief campaign in three of its top games that reach over 40 million users daily. Users can purchase limited edition social goods in FarmVille, Mafia Wars and Zynga Poker, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards supporting emergency aid in Haiti. All contributions to the Haiti Relief Fund will benefit the World Food Programme (WFP) which has set up an emergency response team to distribute food and other relief to thousands in Haiti affected by the devastating earthquake.
Zynga’s users have already raised $1.2 million for Haiti through purchasing virtual social goods. The funds have provided school lunches to Haitian children and contributed to a revolving loan campaign for Haitian women living in extreme poverty.
In the new campaign, users can purchase white corn within FarmVille that will not wither if left unattended for a week or a Haitian drum in Mafia Wars. Zynga Poker fans that buy a special chip package will receive a rare premium item. Additionally, users can donate directly to the WFP through Zynga.org.
“The devastation in Haiti is unimaginable, and anything we or our users can do is tiny compared to the utter loss for this nation,” said Mark Pincus, Zynga’s CEO.
