LG Electronics said Tuesday it launched a yearend gift donation campaign this month with the World Food Program for the underprivileged in Ethiopia.

Dubbed the “Matching gift campaign,” the company is encouraging people to make donations to people affected by natural disasters such as drought in Ethiopia. The company then plans to match the donations.

“This is one of our newest social contribution efforts,” said an LG Electronics official. “The firm plans to offer up to 500 million won ($441,345) in donations and we will also gather the sum contributed by the participants.”

But WFP will have to collect 500 million won for LG to match the amount.

The collected funding is expected to be used to deliver food to the East African nation.

As part of its promotion efforts, LG Electronics is making use of the LED electronics scoreboard located at Times Square in New York as well as social media outlets, such as its official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theLGstory).

“This campaign is meaningful because it is not merely a money donation campaign but an event that uses the firm’s marketing skills to trigger participation around the world,” a company official said. “We’re hoping more people will pay greater interest to the poverty and environmental issues in Africa.”

To participate in the campaign, visit the WFP matching gift website at www.wfp.org/match.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)