Viola Davis may be a kick ass attorney on on TV, (check your local listings for “How to Get Away with Murder”; it’s a real nail biter) but in real life she’s the face of Safeway Foundation’s Hunger Is campaign helping prevent childhood hunger.

Last spring we followed Viola’s stilettoed footsteps around the country sharing her personal struggles with starvation as a child. The throwback video above is when she appeared on The Ellen Show to talk about joining the Foundation’s efforts to prevent hunger in America. Viola’s personal tales of woe combined with Safeway’s in-store fundraisers dotting over 1,000 shops raised more than $4.5 million for the Hunger Is campaign.

“I am honored to help bring attention to Hunger Is and increase public awareness of the problem of childhood hunger right here in America, and I am thrilled to see how swiftly we are responding to the issue at the most local levels with the award of $1.3 million in grants,” writes the Oscar-nominated thespian in a statement.

“Millions of children go hungry everyday in the United States. I was one of those children and I pledge to tell and re-tell my story until we have eradicated childhood hunger across the nation,” Viola adds.

The Safeway Foundation also awarded $1.3 million in grants to 198 local charities focusing on hunger prevention.