MLS FC Dallas

Companies Join Hands with FC Dallas and Dallas Stars to Lift Up Those in Need

Published on December 2, 2005 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


DALLAS, Texas, Nov. 30, 2005 - Those less fortunate in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex will receive gifts of food and hope this holiday season thanks to the generosity of several major corporations, FC Dallas and the Dallas Stars.

Organized by FC Dallas, the Dallas Stars and Minyard Food Stores with Lift Up America, a donation event distributing free products from Tyson Foods and Ty will be held Dec. 5 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at American Airlines Center. Players from FC Dallas and the Dallas Stars will be on hand to assist with distributing 16,000 pounds of chicken to representatives from the North Texas Food Bank and eight other area agencies while another 16,000 pounds of chicken will be given to the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth.

After the food has been distributed, children from The Kids Café, an after-school meal program in South Dallas provided by the North Texas Food Bank, will be guests at the arena for a Holiday Party. The award-winning Southern Belles drill team from South Garland High School will perform and the kids will be treated to cake and hot chocolate, provided by American Airlines Center. FC Dallas and Stars players will sign autographs and spend some time with the kids.

"We are deeply grateful to the Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, Tyson and Minyards for their commitment to hunger relief - what a winning team this is! This donation of nutritious protein will benefit North Texans, especially at this holiday season when the need is great," said Paul Wunderlich, COO of North Texas Food Bank.

The event is one of 25 events planned for the week of Dec. 4 to help thousands of families around the country. Lift Up America is a non-profit organization partnering with business leaders, pro sports owners, and athletic directors to develop creative ways to provide compassionate aid throughout America.

Unlike traditional sports or corporate teams, there are no points to be scored or product development meetings taking place. Lift Up America is simply creating a new kind of team with the goals of feeding the nation's hungry and comforting children at the forefront.

This year, the team consists of Tyson Foods, Ty and other major corporations. Tyson is bringing food donations (a total of 2.24 million meals) to many cities across America in the fight against hunger "Powered by Tyson™". Ty is providing over 300,000 new Beanie Babies® to comfort and bring hope to every child of each family. In addition to MLS, NHL, NFL and NBA teams, numerous college teams have joined the effort.

"We are thrilled about the partnership between these great organizations," said Dave Hannah, CEO of Lift Up America. "It is truly inspirational to see so many entities coming together with such noble goals in mind."

Participating sports teams and Lift Up donation cities include:

FC Dallas, MLS
Dallas Stars, NHL
Colorado Avalanche, NHL
Los Angeles Kings, NHL
San Jose Sharks, NHL
Chivas USA, MLS
Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS
Washington Redskins, NFL
Atlanta Falcons, NFL
Cincinnati Bengals, NFL
Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
Miami Dolphins, NFL
Minnesota Vikings, NFL
NY Giants, NFL
San Diego Chargers, NFL
Chicago Bulls, NBA
Denver Nuggets, NBA
Memphis Grizzlies, NBA
Orlando Magic, NBA
Phoenix Suns, NBA
Boise State University, NCAA
Furman University, NCAA
Louisiana Tech, NCAA
University of Arizona, NCAA
University of Tennessee, NCAA
USC, NCAA
Wake Forest University, NCAA
The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation

"We are honored to join forces with these great partners to bring more awareness to the problem of childhood hunger in America," stated John Tyson, chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods. "We hope what we're doing here inspires others to share their strengths and resources toward finding solutions for the challenges in America and around the world."

"We have made it our mission to bring smiles to the faces of children," stated Ty Warner, chairman and CEO of Ty. "We are so pleased to have the opportunity to work with Lift Up America to help raise the spirits of our nation's young people."

More information about participating organizations

For more information about Lift Up America please visit www.liftupamerica.com.

Tyson Foods, Inc. [NYSE: TSN], founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the world's largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork and the second-largest food company in the Fortune 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products, which are marketed under the "Powered by Tyson™" strategy. Tyson is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves, providing products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 80 countries. Tyson has approximately 114,000 Team Members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Visit www.tyson.com. for more information.

Ty Inc. Founded in 1986 by Ty Warner, creator of the wildly popular Beanie Babies®, Ty is the leader in plush toys. In addition to Beanie Babies®, the company's product line includes: Pinkys™, Punkies®, Pluffies®, Ty Classic®, Beanie Buddies®, Baby Ty®, and Angeline™. The red Ty Heart Logo®, recognized around the world, can be found on all Ty products available at finer specialty gift retailers. Visit Ty on the Internet at www.ty.com.

The Dallas Stars Hockey Club is a member team of the National Hockey League, playing its home games at American Airlines Center. Formerly known as the Minnesota North Stars, the team moved to Dallas in 1993 and quickly established a grassroots hockey program at the youth level to help grow interest in the sport. Since then, the North Texas area has seen its high school hockey teams grow from zero to 75 and number of kids playing hockey grow from 200 to more than 5,400. While the sport was growing in popularity in the community, the Stars built a tradition of winning that continues today. The club has won six division titles, two conference crowns, two Presidents' Trophies for best record in the NHL, and won a Stanley Cup as league champions in 1999. Visit www.DallasStars.com for more information.

FC Dallas, a charter member club of Major League Soccer, began play at Pizza Hut Park, a new 20,000 seat soccer specific stadium, on August 6, 2005. The 145-acre facility is located at the intersection of Main Street and Dallas North Tollway in Frisco. Pizza Hut Park will accommodate Major League Soccer matches, major concerts, international soccer matches and High School football. Adjacent to the stadium are 17 regulation-sized, tournament-grade soccer fields which will be utilized on a year-round basis. On November 13, 2005 Pizza Hut Park hosted Major League Soccer's championship match, MLS Cup 2005 live on ABC Sports. The event saw a record crowd of more than 21,000 fans in attendance and was broadcast in more than 130 countries worldwide. For more information, log on to www.fcdallas.net.

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Major League Soccer Stories from December 2, 2005


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