Citi and Mets Team-Up to Honor City Harvest and Its Volunteers Tonight at Citi Field

NEW YORK, June 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Citi and the New York Mets are teaming-up to fight hunger during City Harvest Night tonight at Citi Field prior to the Mets hosting the Minnesota Twins at 7:10 p.m. as part of the Mets and Citi's "Teammates in the Community Week."

As part of the initiative, 50 Citi volunteers and the Mets will work with City Harvest to repackage over 25,000 pounds of apples on Mets Plaza starting at 3:30 p.m. Members of the Mets Alumni Association Presented by Citi, including Todd Zeile, Cleon Jones, Felix Millan and Vance Wilson will be on hand to offer an assist.

The world's first food rescue organization, City Harvest is dedicated to feeding New York City's hungry. The organization collects excess food from all segments of the food industry and delivers it to soup kitchens and food pantries throughout the five boroughs.

Mets alumni and the Citi Leadership Council will present City Harvest volunteer Michael Seto with the "Teammates in the Community Award" during a special pre-game ceremony, honoring him for his exemplary commitment and dedication to serving and helping others. Seto will be the sixth volunteer the Mets and Citi have honored with the award, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary ways in giving back to the community.  

"Volunteering to help communities where Citi has a presence is an important part of our commitment to citizenship," said Andrew Ditton, Managing Director and Co-Head, Citi Community Capital.  "In 2009, our employees spent nearly 300,000 hours volunteering in communities where they work and live and we are continuing with that spirit of dedication again this year. This partnership with the Mets reinforces Citi's commitment to making a difference while also giving us the opportunity to honor a great New York institution like City Harvest and its volunteers, who have done so much for so many throughout the years."  

"Produce is the kind of food that programs serving hungry individuals and families need most, but they are often unable to receive and store it in large quantities.  Today's volunteer effort will ensure City Harvest can provide fresh fruit and vegetables to agencies in a form they can use immediately," said Jilly Stephens, executive director of City Harvest.

City Harvest Night is part of Teammates Week, a series of events throughout New York undertaken by Citi and the Mets, celebrating the spirit of volunteerism and service, from June 22 through June 27, 2010. Mets players will work alongside local volunteers to bring attention to their selfless work and highlight their impact on the community. Citi and the Mets' participation in these programs also shine the spotlight on the upcoming National Conference on Volunteering and Service (NCVS) being held in New York City for the first time on June 28, 29 and 30.  

Citi

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through its two operating units, Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

City Harvest

Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest (www.CityHarvest.org) is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children.  This year, City Harvest will collect over 26 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms.  This food is then delivered free of charge to nearly 600 community food programs throughout New York City using a fleet of trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 260,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal.

SOURCE Citigroup