At the beginning of December we've had an uncharacteristically cold period with snow here in Belgium. This is a very rare occurrence this early in the winter. It brought the plight of the homeless and the sans papiers – refugees and immigrants waiting for their official papers – forced to sleep out on the streets in appalling conditions, to the attention of the media. These events reminded me of last year's clever, sensitive, and beautiful TV-spot for The Week of Food Banks.

Food Banks Belgium – Pasta from Pieter Claeys on Vimeo.

The "Donate a Barcode" ad campaign aimed to feed the hungry. It used images of barcodes as food to get the message out that local food banks need support by way of food donations. During the week of October 15 to 21, 2009, the Belgian Federation of Food Banks distributed folders with barcodes of food-bank-requested foods at local supermarkets. Anyone could get a copy of the "Donate a Barcode" ad campaign list. Once a barcode was purchased, the item that the barcode represented was donated to a nearby food bank to help feed the hungry.

Advertising Agency | Germaine Antwerp

Creative Director | Dirk Domen

Creatives | Pieter Claeys & Jef Boes

3D artist | Rizon Parein

Sound design | Thomas 'Matik' Houthave

The anti-hunger project "Food Banks" is based on the general principle of gathering place, local aid, bringing the benefit of donors, allowing closeness between the giver and receiver. Today there are 282 Food Banks operating in Europe, which in 2008 distributed 294,500 tons of food to 4.5 million people through 27,000 associations.