RUBY TUESDAY'S "COOKIES FOR A CAUSE" RAISES FUNDS FOR AMERICA'S SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANKS
With More Than 200,000 Cookies Sold Since November,Thousands of Dollars Will Help Feed the Hungry
CHICAGO --- Feb. 19, 2008 --- The sale of gourmet cookies by the dozens at Ruby Tuesday restaurants across the country is helping those who don’t always have enough to eat. The chain, one of the nation’s leading high-quality casual dining restaurant companies, is donating 10 percent of the sales of its chocolate chip and white-chocolate and macadamia-nut cookies to America’s Second Harvest--The Nation’s Food Bank Network. Since the program began in early November of last year, about a hundred thousand cookies have been sold each month, with more than $30,000 donated to help provide for Americans living on the brink of hunger.
Called “Cookies for a Cause – A Dozen Ways to Help Us Fight Hunger,” the campaign includes contributions from the sale of Ruby Tuesday’s cookies by the dozen in its restaurants, in take-out orders, and through the company’s extensive catering program.
“We are committed to helping put an end to hunger in America,” said Kimberly Grant, Ruby Tuesday’s Executive Vice President. “We know Cookies for a Cause will help raise money and awareness for all the vital programs provided by America’s Second Harvest food banks in the communities where our teams live and work,” she added.
America’s Second Harvest affiliates provide more than two billion pounds of food and grocery products each year to approximately 25 million people at risk of hunger– nine million of whom are children. America’s Second Harvest makes a difference in the lives of people who desperately need help, with programs that include Community Kitchens, Backpack Program and Kids Cafes.
America’s Second Harvest’s Community Kitchens provide culinary job training to out-of-work and unskilled men and women to help prepare them for careers in the food service industry. The Backpack Program helps children who might not otherwise get a meal at home. Before weekends or vacation breaks, backpacks filled with food are given to at-risk kids, and because it’s in a backpack, they aren’t singled out or embarrassed because they need help. In some cases, it’s the only food they have over the weekend, before they return to school.
“We are thrilled that Ruby Tuesday will be raising funds for us in such a creative and innovative way,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of America’s Second Harvest. “This long-term commitment to helping feed the millions of people in our nation who struggle to feed their families proves that the good people of Ruby Tuesday are good corporate citizens – and a wonderful asset to their community.”
Information about Cookies for a Cause is printed on Ruby Tuesday menus and on cookie boxes to create guest awareness and encourage purchases that directly help fight hunger in America. Information about the program is also available on the web site’s of Ruby Tuesday -- www.rubytuesday.com and America’s Second Harvest -- www.secondharvest.org.
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Contact:
Ross Fraser
312.641.6422
