Tyson-Lua-River Cats Bring Food To Hungry
Published on December 8, 2009 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 8, 2009 -Through Food for Families, Lift Up America and the Sacramento River Cats are teaming up with Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) to bring the gift of food to the area's less fortunate on Friday, Dec. 11. River Cats players and coaches will all be on hand to help unload the food during the donation announcement at Raley Field. The California Emergency Foodlink will also help distribute the 15 tons of food to more than 100 food closets and agencies in the Sacramento area. The donation event will take place at 1 p.m., beginning with a news conference followed by the food distribution. The event will take place prior to the River Cats' annual Winter Wonderland event at Raley Field (3 - 6 p.m.), where the team will provide a holiday experience to approximately 500 area children in need.
"Our partnership and team spirit between these great organizations have a tremendous impact," said Dave Hannah, founder/chairmen of Lift Up America. "It is truly inspirational to see so many entities coming together with such a noble goal in mind."
"We're honored to join forces with Lift Up America to bring a greater awareness to the issue of hunger in America," says Ed Nicholson, director of community relations for Tyson Foods. "Tyson is dedicated to helping families in the Sacramento area who are struggling in these tough economic times. We also want to encourage other companies and individuals to identify ways they can share resources and make an impact in the fight against hunger."
"We are thrilled to partner with Lift Up America, Tyson Foods, Raley's & Bel Air, and the California Emergency Foodlink on this terrific event," said Alan Ledford, president, general manager and COO of the River Cats and Raley Field. "At a time when so many families in our community are in need, the River Cats are proud to be able to help."
The California Emergency Foodlink, Sacramento County's official food bank and the largest food bank in the nation, distributes food to every county in California and has distributed over one billion pounds of food since 1992. Through Foodlink's local program, it partners with over 100 food closets and agencies to distribute food to individuals in Sacramento. Through the Donate Don't Dump program, Foodlink has collected and distributed over 250 million pounds of surplus food in California.
"We are so grateful for Tyson's much-needed donation to our food bank," said John Healey, president/CEO of California Emergency Foodlink. "This year alone we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking food assistance and this gift will make a great impact on our capabilities to give hunger relief to Sacramento."
Since 2000, Tyson Foods has been a leader in the fight against hunger. The company is actively engaged in food-donation events and fund-raising activities year-round to benefit those in need. The protein given by Tyson today brings the company's total in-kind donations since 2000 to more than 68 million pounds. This milestone equates to more than 216 million meals donated to food banks and agencies serving local communities around the country.
Tyson, Lift Up America donation
Last year alone, Tyson donated nearly 12 million pounds of protein to Feeding America. For more information on how to get involved in the fight against hunger, go to http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/.
Food For Families is a registered 501(c)3 organization providing food for the needy year-round in the communities of Northern California and Northern Nevada served by Raley's, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source stores.
Food For Families began as a holiday food drive in 1986 and was founded by Raley's Co-Chairman and Owner Joyce Raley Teel and CEO emeritus Charles Collings. Since then, the organization has raised over $20 million and more than 10 million pounds of food for the needy in communities served by Raley's stores, as part of the company's long-time commitment to local communities. The legacy of the program continues today, thanks to the support of Raley's customers, colleagues and community partners.
Lift Up America, founded in 2004, is a collaborative effort of companies including Tyson, Ty and Give the Gift of Sight (a Luxottica Group Foundation), working with professional and college sports teams and local nonprofit agencies to provide the gifts of food, sight, hearing, hope and comfort to our nation's less fortunate. In 2006 Lift Up America added such major corporations as Starkey Hearing Foundation, Interstate Batteries and Cinemark Theaters to implement the "Giving Hope Tour," adding the gift of entertainment to those we serve. Lift Up America, through our sponsors, provided more than $25 million in hearing aids, helped approximately 26,000 people in need of prescription eyeglasses, delivered 10 million meals and over 40 million dollars in scholarships to the less fortunate across America. For more information about Lift Up America, please visit www.LiftUpAmerica.org.
California Emergency Foodlink is Sacramento County's Official Food Bank and the largest food bank in the nation providing food to every county in California. Foodlink was founded in 1992 with the mission of finding sensible solutions to hunger that effectively address its root causes: poverty and homelessness. To accomplish this mission, Foodlink has implemented a strategy of providing jobs, preventing hunger and training for the future. For more information about Foodlink and its programs please visit www.foodlink.org.
Pacific Coast League Stories from December 8, 2009
- Tyson-Lua-River Cats Bring Food To Hungry - Sacramento River Cats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
