Bumble Bee Foods(R) Announces BeeWell for Life(TM) Contest Winners to Lead Mother's Day Walks to Empower

SAN DIEGO, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Bumble Bee Foods® has announced the winners of its BeeWell for Life™ contest—Bee at the Walk—to select a national ambassador and 10 regional ambassadors to lead Breast Cancer Network of Strength® Mother's Day Walk to Empower® nationwide events in May.

Bumble Bee's annual BeeWell for Life program is designed to encourage a more holistic and year-long approach to healthy living. The program benefits the Breast Cancer Network of Strength®.

Kristy Davis of Schaumburg, Ill. was selected to be the national ambassador for Mother's Day Walk to Empower® on May 9 in Chicago. As the national ambassador, Davis will receive an all-expense-paid stay for four in Chicago to attend the largest Network of Strength walk, along with four airline tickets, courtesy of United Airlines, to anywhere in the continental United States. She will meet with Network of Strength members, participate in opening ceremonies, and tour FTD® Inc. (the floral company) corporate facilities.  Davis will also be equipped with a Flip® video camcorder to record and share her experience in Chicago. Davis' submission recounting her experience with breast cancer titled "Almost Done" can be viewed online at www.beeatthewalk.com/stories/kmdavis5.

"I'm thrilled to participate in the Mother's Day Walk to Empower as BeeWell for Life's national ambassador," said Davis. "At 30 years, I am the youngest person in my family to have ever been diagnosed with breast cancer. This is an important event for me based on my experience and I'm happy to have been chosen to lead the Breast Cancer Network of Strength Walk to Empower in Chicago."

Ten regional ambassadors were also selected to document their experience at Network of Strength walks around the country. They include: Maia Legge at the Phoenix Walk to Empower; Cathy Repinski at the San Diego Walk to Empower; Diane Kidwell at the San Francisco Walk to Empower; Cyndy Scholz at the Denver Walk to Empower; Sheila Davignon at the New Haven, Conn., Walk to Empower; Latisha Brown at the Washington, D.C., Walk to Empower; Patti Tyson at the Atlanta Walk to Empower; Peggy Gillespie at the Chicago Walk to Empower; Laurie Brosius at the Houston Walk to Empower; and Barbie Maybee at the Seattle Walk to Empower.

"We are honored that each of these incredible women who shared their stories of how breast cancer has affected their, or a loved one's life, will now lead BeeWell for Life teams at Breast Cancer Network of Strengths' Walk to Empower events," said Dave Melbourne, Bumble Bee Foods senior vice president. "Through the BeeWell for Life program, we want participants to have the tools and inspiration to lead a healthy lifestyle while also supporting Breast Cancer Network of Strength through the miles they log."

In its third year, the signature program by Bumble Bee aims to inspire people to exercise, stay active and eat healthier using the dedicated resource Web site www.beewellforlife.com.

Participants in BeeWell for Life who log the miles they walk, run or bike help make a difference for Breast Cancer Network of Strength. Breast Cancer Network of Strength initiatives include the 24/7 YourShoes™ Breast Cancer Support Center, survivor and partner match programs, and wig and prosthesis banks. For each mile logged through www.beewellforlife.com between now and October 31, 2010, Bumble Bee will donate 15 cents per mile. When one million miles are logged, the company will make an additional $50,000 contribution, for a total donation of $200,000.

New members can join the program by visiting www.beewellforlife.com. Online tools to connect with BeeWell for Life also include Facebook www.facebook.com/beewellforlife and Twitter www.twitter.com/beewellforlife.

About Bumble Bee Foods

Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, headquartered in San Diego, is North America's largest branded shelf-stable seafood company, offering a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardine, and specialty protein products marketed in the U.S. under leading brands including Bumble Bee®, Brunswick®, Snow's® and Beach Cliff®, and in Canada under the Clover Leaf® brand. The Bumble Bee brand has established significant consumer awareness and loyalty based on the quality, nutritional value and affordability of its products.

Bumble Bee is a founding member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation—a first-of-kind national initiative involving a coalition of more than 40 retailers, non-profit organizations and food and beverage manufacturers with a mission to help reduce obesity, particularly childhood obesity by 2015.

For more information on Bumble Bee, visit www.bumblebee.com. Join fans of Bumble Bee and healthy living at www.facebook.com/BumbleBeeFoods and www.facebook.com/BeeWellforlife.

About Breast Cancer Network of Strength

Breast Cancer Network of Strength® provides immediate emotional relief to anyone affected by breast cancer through the YourShoes™ 24/7 breast cancer support center, which includes the country's only toll-free hotline staffed exclusively by breast cancer survivors.

For more information, visit www.networkofstrength.org. Peer counselors can be contacted at 1.800.221.2141, with interpreters available in more than 150 languages.  

SOURCE Bumble Bee Foods