FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kris Tazelaar, Communications Manager, Second Harvest Foodbank; 608-216-7206
Sarah Newby, Princeton Club; 608-220-9639
Third annual Million Pound Challenge starts January 1
MADISON, Wis., December 27, 2011 – Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin and the Princeton Club announce the third annual Million Pound Challenge, a fitness and weight loss campaign that directly benefits Second Harvest Foodbank’s emergency food pantry partners throughout its 16-county service area. The Million Pound Challenge begins January 1 and runs through May 31, 2012.
“We’re proud to partner with Second Harvest Foodbank to end hunger in southwestern Wisconsin through the third annual Million Pound Challenge,” said Dave Gerry, President of the Princeton Club. “The Million Pound Challenge is a great way to motivate people who want to lose weight, get in better shape, and at the same time, provide food to our community members facing hunger.”
Participants sign up at www.Princetonclub.net/mpc to exercise or lose weight and select a Second Harvest Foodbank emergency food pantry beneficiary. For every pound of weight lost or hour exercised, the Princeton Club contributes 10 pounds of food – up to one million pounds. The campaign is open to individuals and groups. There’s no cost to participate or obligation to join a health club.
New this year, schools are encouraged to have their principal or gym teacher sign up as a school and record their exercise to help fill pantries directly in their community.
“With Second Harvest Foodbank experiencing an 83 percent increase in demand for emergency food assistance since 2006, the Million Pound Challenge campaign helps meet a critical need,” said Dan Stein, President/CEO for Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. “We encourage all communities in our 16-county service area to participate and help raise one million pounds of food for our neighbors struggling with hunger.”
In 2011, the Million Pound Challenge raised over 900,000 pounds of food through the efforts of nearly 3,845 individuals and 188 teams.
The Million Pound Challenge website (www.Princetonclub.net/mpc) has educational resources to assist participants in reaching their weight loss and fitness goals. It also has great downloadable tools on the “Media” page to motivate groups, including the campaign logo, posters, banners and a video.
About The Princeton Club
The Princeton Club started as a small health club on the eastside of Madison, Wis. in 1987 with a simple goal: offer a premier health club that combined state-of-the-art equipment with a highly trained fitness staff and make convenience a high priority. With two clubs in Madison and one in New Berlin, Wis., the Princeton Clubs are Madison and Milwaukee’s largest, most well respected fitness centers, serving more than 25,000 active members. These full service health clubs are open 24 hours per day, offering free child care; group fitness classes; nutritional and weight loss counseling; hundreds of state-of-the-art, strength and cardiovascular exercise machines; pools; basketball and tennis courts and more. Their staff members have advanced degrees in fitness-related disciplines, and all staff members are CPR and Automated External Defibrillator-certified, working closely with health care providers to offer personalized exercise programs. The Princeton Clubs’ ongoing commitment to excellence has earned them the recognition of “Best in Madison and Dane County” and “Best Health Club in Wisconsin.” For more information, visit www.princetonclub.net or call 608-241-2639 (BODY) or 608-833-2639 (BODY).
About Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger in southwestern Wisconsin through community partnerships, serving nearly 141,000 people who struggle to put food on the table, including 43 percent who are children. Through food and financial donations and volunteer support, Second Harvest Foodbank acquires and distributes food to 315 partner agencies, including food pantries, shelters and meal sites, in 16 counties. From July 1, 2010–June 30, 2011, Second Harvest Foodbank distributed 8.6 million pounds of food. It is one of 200 members of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. For more information, visit www.SecondHarvestMadison.org.
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