Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ spoiled turnips are being turned into real food in an inventive charity drive. The game’s popularity has made it a prime spot for promotions as well as player creativity, with some fans fabricating crossovers with other popular Nintendo franchises in Animal Crossing’s dream islands. As a reflection of the game’s success, it was recently reported that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is Japan’s second best-selling game of all time, behind Pokémon.
Nintendo’s latest installment to the franchise is a collector’s paradise, with the museum being one of the primary fulfillment objectives. Moreover, with the pandemic forcing social distancing and quarantine, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has become a meeting point for celebrity interviews, such as the appearance of Xbox’s Phil Spencer on an episode of Animal Talking With Gary Whitta. With 2020 being so chaotic and unpredictable, Animal Crossing has been a point of stability for its fans.
Expanding upon the game’s perpetuation of altruism, Hellmann’s Canada took to Twitter to announce it would be turning Animal Crossing’s spoiled turnips into real food for charity. Players can drop off spoiled turnips on Hellmann’s Island in the game, and for every turnip given, Hellmann’s Canada will donate a meal to Second Harvest Canada to feed those in need. The goal is to donate 25,000 meals. Players can request a dodo code from Hellmann’s Canada on Twitter to reserve a spot on the island, which opens August 17 – August 21, from 3:00 PM EST to 12:00 AM EST. A video posted by Hellmann’s Canada regarding the charity drive can be viewed below.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has stolen gamers’ hearts since its release in March 2020. While the charity drive isn’t being sponsored by Nintendo, for anyone to capitalize on the game’s popularity to do some good in the world offers some hope for the future – a much-needed respite from the drudgery of current everyday life. Whatever it takes to make the lives of those who are struggling, especially right now, a bit easier without it being at the greater expense of others is a worthy cause, and Hellmann’s Canada is proof that such undertakings can be done anywhere, through anything.
As many people as there are in the world, even in the Western Hemisphere alone, 25,000 meals isn’t an overly ambitious goal. As much time as players spend in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it’s not unreasonable to ask them to spend a fraction of that time exploring an island committed to charity and donating their otherwise useless spoiled turnips. The world needs more help now than it has in the last two decades, and Hellmann Canada’s charity drive in Animal Crossing is a fantastic place to start, using interactive entertainment to make people’s lives a little easier.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch.
