Bertolli® Frozen Meal Soup Warms Hearts & Stomachs with "Ladles of Love" to Benefit Feeding America

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bertolli® Frozen Meal Soup is sharing the warmth this National Soup Month with Feeding America® and its nationwide network of food banks as part of the "Ladles of Love" program, helping to provide 400,000 meals* to Americans at risk of hunger.   

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120118/NY37304 )

Starting today and throughout National Soup Month, consumers can show support for the "Ladles of Love" program by visiting the Bertolli Meal Soup "Ladles of Love" tab on the Bertolli Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Bertolli and clicking to help fill the interactive soup bowl. Additionally, the first 10,000 people to participate will receive a $2 off coupon for Bertolli Frozen Meal Soup to redeem during National Soup Month.  

The "Ladles of Love" program will also make a stop to warm up the star-studded Sundance Film Festival, January 20-22 in Park City, UT, at the "Bertolli Meal Soup Chalet." Hollywood's hottest stars can also show their support by visiting the lounge and dishing out their own Ladles of Love in support of Feeding America.

"There are nearly 49 million Americans, including 16 million children, at risk of hunger in the United States," said Vicki Escarra, Feeding America's President and CEO. "We are pleased to partner with Bertolli Frozen Meal Soup and the 'Ladles of Love' program to generate 400,000 meals for the families, children and seniors who we serve every day across our nationwide network of food banks."

The donations will directly benefit Feeding America's network of more than 200 food banks across the country. The Feeding America network helps more than 37 million Americans who rely on the organization's support each year.

"Bertolli Meal Soup is proud to partner with Feeding America to warm the hearts and stomachs of those in need this winter through the 'Ladles of Love' program," said Rachel Porges, Senior Brand Manager for Bertolli® Frozen Meals at Unilever. "There's an inherent comfort in soup, and we hope to bring that sense of comfort to thousands of individuals through the Ladles of Love program this National Soup Month."     

Bertolli Frozen Meal Soup – a new line of four premium, restaurant-quality soups available in the freezer aisle – launched in grocery stores and retailers nationwide this past August.  Bertolli Frozen Meal Soups are hearty and include tender meats, al dente pasta, fragrant herbs and crisp vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes – all flash frozen at the peak of freshness.

For more information on Bertolli Frozen Meals Soup and the Ladles of Love program, please visit www.facebook.com/Bertolli.

*$1=8 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks. The monetary equivalent of up to 400,000 meals will be provided.

About Bertolli

In 1865, in the town of Lucca, in the Tuscan heart of Italy's olive growing region, Francesco Bertolli opened a small storefront business selling regional foods such as olive oil, wine, cheese and olives. In the late 1800s, the Bertolli business grew from its Italian roots when Italian emigrants to America, unable to find the products to which they were accustomed, wrote to Bertolli asking for crates of olive oil. In reply, Bertolli sent orders to America and thus became the first exporter of olive oil. By the 1890s, Bertolli was sold in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. From there, business gradually expanded west and eventually found export markets beyond the United States.

From its beginnings in olive oil, Bertolli today has grown to include a broad range of restaurant-quality pasta sauces and frozen meals. While the Bertolli portfolio of products is constantly evolving to meet changing consumer needs, it continues to stay true to its Italian origins of culinary craftsmanship and trademark values of guaranteed quality, consistency and authenticity.  Today, more than 140 years since Francesco Bertolli began selling his olive oil in Lucca, Italy, the original "Villa Bertolli" at piazza S. Donato still stands, just as Bertolli remains at the heart of the authentic Italian cuisine enjoyed at home by millions of families around the world.  For more information visit www.villabertolli.com.

About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180.  With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, OMO, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Ragu, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2010.  For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, www.unilever.ca, or www.unilevercaribbean.com.

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

SOURCE Unilever North America