Beech-Nut Teams up with Melissa Joan Hart to Launch Philanthropic Effort

TOWN OF AMSTERDAM, N.Y., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Beech-Nut has teamed up with ABC Family star and executive producer and mom of two, Melissa Joan Hart, to encourage consumers to help fight childhood hunger by sharing a virtual jar of baby food through Beech-Nut's "A Jar For A Jar" program. For every virtual jar shared through the company's Facebook page, Beech-Nut will donate a jar of food to humanitarian and hunger-relief agency Feed The Children – up to one million jars total.  

"As a family-owned company our priorities and investments reflect our values; we work hard to provide a better future for our children and for the communities in which we live," said Jim Schneider, President and CEO, Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation. "We're investing in new technologies to be more responsible stewards of the environment, and we are striving to provide greater access to natural, nutritious foods for all young children – regardless of their families' circumstance or other hardship."  

The "A Jar For A Jar" effort highlights Beech-Nut's ongoing commitment to Feed The Children and the company's dedication to children and families in need. For nearly 20 years Beech-Nut has supported the efforts of Feed The Children, most recently donating $750,000 in product to aid victims of the recent tornado outbreaks.

"Beech-Nut cares about real issues that moms care about," said Hart. "They make wholesome, natural products that moms can trust and they support causes that help children in need. As a mom, that's what I care about. That's why I got involved in this campaign."

Hart will kickoff the campaign in mid June in New York at a special food distribution event sponsored by Beech-Nut and Feed The Children. At the event, more than 400 local families will receive a week's worth of meals and personal care items. Product donations from companies like Beech-Nut make these events possible.

According to Feed The Children, nearly one in five Americans struggles to afford enough food and ten percent of all U.S. households with children have an inadequate food supply due to lack of money and other resources.

"The fight against childhood hunger is a never-ending battle and we are excited to once again have Beech-Nut joining us on the front lines," said Feed The Children spokesperson Tony Sellars. "This campaign will allow everyone across the country to join in the effort to provide nutritional support to families in need."

For more information about Melissa and additional facts about food insecurity in the U.S., or to donate a jar of food to Feed The Children – visit Beech-Nut's Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BeechNut . Beech-Nut will match every virtual jar shared, up to one million jars.

About Feed The Children

Founded in 1979, Feed The Children is consistently ranked as one of the largest international charities in the U.S., based on private, non-government support. Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disasters. In FY 2010, Feed The Children distributed more than 133 million pounds of food and other essentials to children and their families in all 50 states and internationally. For more information, please visit www.feedthechildren.org.

About Beech-Nut

Since 1931, Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation has been built on a history of innovation and dedication to infant nutrition. Headquartered in Amsterdam, New York, Beech-Nut is the number two leading baby food brand in the United States and is committed to deliver more nutrition for parents and babies. As a subsidiary of Hero AG of Lenzburg, Switzerland, a global leader in consumer goods and infant feeding, Beech-Nut is able to combine resources to continuously improve food and nutrition for infants. For more information visit www.beechnut.com or www.facebook.com/beechnut .

About Hero

Hero, an international brand-focused consumer-foods group, was founded in 1886 in Lenzburg, Switzerland, and is committed to producing high-quality, nutritious products in its core product categories of Infant Nutrition and Fruit. Hero's operations are based predominantly in Europe, North America and Middle East & Africa and, most recently, China. In 2010, the group generated revenues of in excess of CHF 1.8 billion with over 4,000 employees in more than 30 countries. Dr. Arend Oetker is the majority shareholder.

Contact: Aimee DeVoll
314-552-6744
[email protected]

SOURCE Beech-Nut