Laila Ali Partners With Uncle Ben's to Help Fight Childhood Hunger
Uncle Ben's Pledges $1 Million to America's Second Harvest's Kids Cafe Program
LOS ANGELES --- September 5, 2007 --- Uncle Ben's(R), the number one rice brand,* has teamed with celebrity health and fitness expert Laila Ali to highlight a new multi-year partnership with the Kids Cafe program of America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network. Over the next four years, Uncle Ben's will donate $1 million to open additional Kids Cafe locations around the country and provide free meals and snacks to low-income children.
To kick-off the partnership, Ali, daughter of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and a champion of healthy eating and physical activity, joined Uncle Ben's associates today at the Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley Kids Cafe location near Los Angeles to cook for and serve food to the 50 children who regularly use the facility.
"When I heard that nearly 12 million children in the United States are hungry or at risk of going hungry, I knew this was a cause that needed attention," said Ali. "Kids Cafe locations not only allow children a chance to get a hot meal, they also are places where they can build friendships and learn about living a healthy lifestyle. It's wonderful that Uncle Ben's has committed to opening more locations to help even more kids."
As part of the partnership, Uncle Ben's has enlisted help from the "Queen of Kids Cuisine," Chef Barbara Beery, to create kid-friendly, nutritious recipes featuring Uncle Ben's rice. The new recipes, featuring dishes such as "Chicken Teriyaki Brown Rice Bowls" and "Brown Rice Veggie Pizza", will be served at the new Uncle Ben's-sponsored Kids Cafes.
The first Uncle Ben's Kids Cafe will open this month in Greenville, Miss., regarded as the spiritual home of Uncle Ben's. The Greenville Kids Cafe will be the Delta's first child hunger-relief facility and plans to serve an estimated 1,000 children a year.
A Call to Support America's Second Harvest
Throughout the month of September, Uncle Ben's is hosting activities with Ali and associates to help raise awareness for and celebrate this important partnership.
"In addition to Uncle Ben's associates volunteering their time to serve meals at a variety of Kids Cafe locations, we're encouraging consumers to visit http://UncleBens.com/journal to sign 'Ben's Guest Book' or purchase any of our products during September; by doing so Uncle Ben's will make a contribution to the America's Second Harvest Kids Cafe program," said Vincent Howell, president, Mars Foods US.
About the America's Second Harvest Kids Cafe Program
America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable hunger-relief organization in the country. It started the Kids Cafe program in 1993, which has since grown into the most expansive child-feeding program in the United States, providing nutritious free meals and snacks to low-income children through a variety of existing community locations such as Boys and Girls Clubs.
"On behalf of America's Second Harvest, we are thrilled to be partnering with Uncle Ben's to help us expand the Kids Cafe program to reach even more children in need," said Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of America's Second Harvest. "With their support, we will be able to serve an additional 1,100 children and more than 150,000 servings of food each year."
After 10 years of existence, the Center on Hunger and Poverty evaluated the effectiveness of the Kids Cafe program and found that it not only fights child hunger, but also serves as a critical support system for families. Top improvements noted in children include earning better grades in school, having more energy and having better concentration.
"Uncle Ben's is proud to announce this multi-year partnership, and to pledge $1 million, to the America's Second Harvest Kids Cafe program," added Howell. "The Mars family and company associates are committed to giving back to the communities where our products are made. Through donations of money, food and volunteer time, the Kids Cafe program allows us to make a significant impact in the lives of children across the country."
For more information on the partnership between America's Second Harvest and Uncle Ben's, or to download recipes and coupons, visit http://www.unclebens.com.
About Uncle Ben's®
UNCLE BEN'S®, the number one rice brand in America, is proud to offer a wide range of rice dishes with flavors and textures that will help bring more to your meals, both for convenient side dishes and savory main courses. UNCLE BEN'S(R) offers a wide variety of white, whole grain brown, and flavored rices in cook times ranging from 30 minutes to 90 seconds, as well as rice for food service operations such as restaurants, schools and hospitals. The first mass-produced parboiled rice, UNCLE BEN'S(R) is the top-selling branded rice in the United States and products can be found in more than 100 countries worldwide. UNCLE BEN'S(R) is manufactured by Mars Food US, part of the United States food, snack and pet care operations of Mars, Incorporated. For more information, visit http://www.unclebens.com.
About America's Second Harvest
America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes.
To learn more, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
*Uncle Ben's is the Number one rice brand according to IRI, Infoscan, Food Only, July 2007
Contact:
Ross Fraser
312.641.6422
