Marriot International, Inc., Supports America's Second Harvest's Disaster Relief Efforts
DISASTER PRESS RELEASE
America's premier hospitality company helps America's Second Harvest
continue its relief efforts in the Gulf Coast
CHICAGO
--- September 2, 2005 --- Due to the unprecedented national disaster
caused by Hurricane Katrina, America's Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank
Network has cancelled their 2005 annual conference. Marriott International, Inc.
has allowed the Network to cancel its contract for the event, allowing America's
Second Harvest to continue to focus its efforts on providing urgently needed
food and water to the victims of the killer hurricane.
"We are grateful to Marriott International for their compassion and understanding in this time of great need," said Robert Forney, President and CEO of America's Second Harvest. "We appreciate their support as we continue our around-the-clock efforts to provide critical supplies to those impacted by the hurricane."
America's Second Harvest has already dispatched over 99 truckloads from around the country, carrying over 3 million pounds of food and grocery product, to America's Second Harvest food banks located in disaster stricken areas. The food banks will collect the supplies and pack them into relief boxes for distribution to the more than 250 emergency shelters in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida and surrounding states where more than 500,000 evacuees are expected to arrive in the coming days.
"We understand the responsibility America's Second Harvest has to the people and communities that have been severely affected by this natural disaster. While we are disappointed to have to cancel the 2005 annual conference we believe this is the best course of action to support their relief efforts," John Dawsey, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa.
The three-day meeting was to feature workshops, speakers, and awards as America's Second Harvest commemorated its 25th anniversary. Every year the America's Second Harvest Network serves over 23 million Americans, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors. The conference is being rescheduled in Vail for the same period in 2007.
It is estimated that the response needs in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi will take months of intense work. The America's Second Harvest national office is coordinating efforts to amass donations of food and water and emergency supplies to facilities in the Gulf Coast. In response to Hurricane Dennis earlier this season, companies donated more than 480,000 pounds of food and grocery product to affected areas. During the 2004 hurricanes that hit the southeast, an unprecedented 7 million pounds of food, water, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, diapers and baby formula were donated to the America’s Second Harvest Network to assist hurricane victims in nine states and Puerto Rico.
America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization with a Network of more than 200 regional member food banks and food - rescue programs serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The America's Second Harvest Network secures and distributes nearly two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. The America's Second Harvest Network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. Last year, the America's Second Harvest Network provided food assistance to more than 23 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including more than nine million children and nearly three million seniors. For more on America's Second Harvest, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
About Marriott International, Inc.
MARRIOTT
INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 2,600
lodging properties in the United States and 65 other countries and
territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under
the Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard,
Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brand
names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott
Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand
Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments;
provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division;
and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington,
D.C. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one
of the best places to work for by Fortune® magazine. In fiscal year 2004,
Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $10 billion,
and the company had approximately 133,000 employees at year-end 2004. For
more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com
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Contact:
Phil Zepeda
Office: 312-263-2303,
x184
Cell: 312-622-2640
