Betty Crocker Sets Goal to Raise Up to $500,000 for The Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) to Help Bake Up Special Moments for Inspiring Kids

MINNEAPOLIS, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting today, people can join Betty Crocker in raising $500,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help grant wishes for inspiring Make-A-Wish® kids. It's all part of the second-year kickoff of Stirring Up Wishes, Betty Crocker's multi-year program with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to support the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions and bring hope, strength and joy to their lives.

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This spring, look for specially marked Betty Crocker® products at grocery stores nationwide and share the power of a wish®. A 10-cent donation will be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for every specially marked package purchased, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 and a maximum donation of $500,000. Look for specially marked packages of Betty Crocker® cake, frosting, muffin, cookie and brownie mix, as well as select Warm Delights® desserts, and Bisquick® products.

"We are thrilled to continue our support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and its incredible work," said Ann Simonds, President of the Betty Crocker Baking Division. "Celebrating special moments and delivering joy to families is at the core of what Betty Crocker stands for – that's why, with the help of consumers, we hope to double our annual commitment of $250,000 to the Foundation to $500,000, to help grant more wishes and celebrate even more special moments."

Give a Little, Get a Lot

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes to a child with a life-threatening medical condition. In addition to the donations via purchase of specially marked packages, throughout the spring campaign Betty Crocker is celebrating wish moments at StirringUpWishes.com and encouraging people to help grant even more wishes through the Give $5, Get $5 promotion. Just visit StirringUpWishes.com from March 1-April 15, 2010, donate $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make children's wishes come true, and get $5 worth of downloadable Betty Crocker® coupons.

"The Make-A-Wish Foundation is grateful for the continued support from Betty Crocker, consumers and our volunteers, who all make it possible for us to bring joy to seriously ill kids through their wish experiences," said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. "The 188,000 wishes we have granted to date would not have been possible without the generous donations and awareness of our mission created by programs like Stirring Up Wishes."

Betty Crocker launched Stirring Up Wishes in spring 2009 with the 12 Wishes in 12 Weeks promotion, which granted 12 wishes for Make-A-Wish kids across the country and provided nearly $60,000 in grants for local fundraising events. Log on to StirringUpWishes.com to read these stories and the stories of other inspirational Make-A-Wish kids.

The full list of products participating in the in-store promotion include: Betty Crocker® Yellow Cake, Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy Chocolate Frosting, Betty Crocker® Cinnamon Streusel Muffins, Betty Crocker® Chocolate Chip Cookies, Betty Crocker® Brownies, Betty Crocker® Fudge Brownie Warm Delights® dessert, Betty Crocker® Molten Chocolate Warm Delights® dessert, Bisquick® Yellow Box Mix (both 20oz and 40oz).

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation:

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 65 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 188,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org.

About Betty Crocker:

Since her creation in 1921, Betty Crocker has been one of the strongest brand icons in the food industry. A brand associated with quality and trust, Betty Crocker and the red spoon symbol appear on more than 300 General Mills products including ready-to-spread frostings and mixes that make some of the country's best cakes, brownies, cookies, muffins and other baked goods.

As a pioneer in the dessert mix category, General Mills was one of the first companies to introduce layer cake mix in 1947; it did so under the Betty Crocker name. This started a revolution in baking, providing homemakers with a convenient, reliable way to replicate the quality and taste of "homemade" without the hassle. Today, Betty Crocker products are the best-selling dessert mixes on the market.

For more product or recipe information, please visit the Betty Crocker Web site at www.bettycrocker.com

Betty Crocker® is a Reg. T.M. of General  Mills

SOURCE Betty Crocker