CONTACT: Amy Rohn
arohn@lsb.com
(608) 251-7070
Syd Lindner
Sydney.lindner@kraft.com
(608) 285-6820
(MADISON, Wis.)— Today, Madison-area residents facing hunger will benefit for the first time from a new mobile food pantry truck donated by Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, a member of Feeding America. Beginning at its first stop, Mount Zion Baptist Church, people in need will receive nutritious perishable and non-perishable foods from this new $125,000 refrigerated truck.
“This is a tremendously important resource for Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin,” said Dan Stein, Incoming President/CEO, “and the timing could not be better. With many more families and individuals seeking food assistance, this enables us to quickly move needed nutritious food, including fresh produce and dairy, directly into communities and neighborhoods.”
In fact, this year Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin and its partner agencies have witnessed a more than 20 percent increase in the need for food assistance. Last year alone, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin served 25,432 households (a total of 76,373 individuals) and distributed 1,814,933 lbs through its existing Mobile Pantry Program.
The specially designed 42-foot, brightly colored truck, with five bays on each side, will be used at 10-12 of Second Harvest’s current mobile pantry locations allowing them to sustain and grow the program and reallocate its current fleet. The locations will be Madison, including South Madison at Mount Zion Baptist Church, as well as Sun Prairie, Marshall, Waterloo, Blue Mounds and Janesville.
“There is a growing need in Madison and around the country for food assistance which is why Kraft Foods has donated seven of these refrigerated mobile pantries in various markets this year,” said Jim Hyne, Senior Director of Human Resources, Oscar Mayer. “In doing so, we are a part of the solution to alleviate hunger which is a growing concern for many.” A recent survey of U.S. consumers conducted by Kraft Foods indicated that 56 percent of respondents said the economy has forced them to choose between paying utilities and buying nutritious food.
To support this nationwide mobile pantry truck program, Kraft Foods and Kraft Foods Foundation have donated $4.5 million to Feeding America to put 25 refrigerated trucks specially designed for mobile pantries on the road over the next three years and deliver more than 50 million meals to families nationwide.
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About Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods (http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com) makes today delicious in 150 countries around the globe. Our 100,000 employees work tirelessly to make delicious foods consumers can feel good about. From American brand icons like Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings, Maxwell House coffees and Oscar Mayer meats, to global powerhouse brands like Oreo and LU biscuits, Philadelphia cream cheeses, Jacobs and Carte Noire coffees, Tang powdered beverages and Milka, Côte d’Or, Lacta and Toblerone chocolates, our brands deliver millions of smiles every day. Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) is the world’s second largest food company with annual revenues of $42 billion. The company is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Ethibel Sustainability Index.
About Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger in southwestern Wisconsin, where more than 100,000 people – 40% who are children – don’t always have enough to eat. Through food and financial donations, Second Harvest acquires and distributes food to more than 400 programs, including food pantries, shelters and meal sites, in 16 counties. In 2008, Second Harvest Foodbank distributed more than 6.2 million pounds of food. It is one of 200 affiliates of Feeding America, the nation’s largest charitable hunger-relief organization, engaging our country in the fight to end hunger. For more information, visit http://www.secondharvestmadison.org.
