Starr Foundation Donates $1 Million to America's Second Harvest Network Providing Aid to Those Impacted be Hurricane Katrina
Contribution Funds Long-Term Relief Efforts in Gulf Coast Region
CHICAGO --- September 22, 2005 --- America’s Second Harvest -- The
Nation's Food Bank Network, today announced a $1 million financial contribution
from the Starr Foundation to help support its long-term relief and recovery
efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The donation will be used to help
purchase and distribute food, water and grocery products to food banks in the
area that were affected by the storm as well as those located in areas hosting
evacuees.
"This generous donation by the Starr Foundation will help
feed tens of thousands of people served by our food banks and food-rescue
organizations," said Robert Forney, president and CEO of America's Second
Harvest. "We are extremely grateful for contributions like these that enable our
organization to continue our long-term hunger relief and recovery efforts for
those affected by Hurricane Katrina."
The Starr Foundation's $1 million donation will help America's Second Harvest secure, transport and distribute food and grocery products through its Network of food banks. For its Katrina relief efforts, America's Second Harvest to date has raised $15 million and dispatched 889 trucks carrying 29 million pounds of food and grocery products to the impacted areas.
"Providing food and shelter for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina will continue to be a vital priority for several months to come. The Starr Foundation's donation will help ensure that those who have suffered so much already will not have to worry about feeding themselves and their families as they work to rebuild their lives," said M.R. Greenberg, Chairman of the Starr Foundation and Chairman and CEO of C.V. Starr & Co. Inc.
Mr. Greenberg recently retired as Chairman and CEO of American International Group, Inc. (AIG) after over 40 years of leadership building the organization into the largest insurance company in history.
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The Starr Foundation was established in 1955 by Cornelius Vander Starr, Mr. Greenberg's predecessor at AIG and the founder of the American International family of insurance and financial services companies, now known as AIG. The foundation makes grants in a number of areas, including education, medicine and healthcare, public policy, human needs, culture and the environment. Mr. Greenberg has served as Chairman of The Starr Foundation since 1981.
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.
Contact:
America's
Second Harvest
Ross Fraser
Office: (312) 263-2303, x127
Cell:
(312) 307-8470
The Starr Foundation
Courtney O’Malley
(212) 770-5054
courtney.omalley@starrfoundation.org
