Feeding America and Abbott Partner For Hurricane Relief Preparation

Disaster relief packs to be pre-positioned at food banks to provide immediate relief for people suffering in the wake of hurricanes

CHICAGO, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity, and Abbott, the global health care company, today announced they will once again partner to pre-position disaster relief packs containing donated Abbott nutritional products at 23 food banks in preparation for the 2010 hurricane season.

Local food banks often serve an important role in providing immediate relief in communities impacted by hurricanes.  This initiative is designed to provide food banks in at-risk areas with disaster relief packs that can be distributed directly to affected families.  The food banks are located throughout the Southeastern United States and in Puerto Rico, and were selected based on their vulnerability to hurricanes, population coverage, and their capacity to assist in disaster response.

Volunteers from the participating food banks will turn more than 120 tons of Abbott-donated nutritional products into a total of 6,400 disaster relief packs, designed for various family sizes and age ranges. Together, the packages will be able to support approximately 20,000 people in the aftermath of a hurricane or other natural disaster.

"Feeding America has been at the forefront of disaster response for decades, helping to coordinate nationwide relief through effective distribution of food and grocery products," said Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. "Our strategic partnership with Abbott will enable us to do even more in the vital area of pre-positioning supplies. When disaster strikes this year, our member food banks in affected areas will be able to offer free nutritional products that families can utilize while rebuilding their lives, thanks to Abbott."

"It's critically important to help at-risk communities prepare for hurricane season," said Katherine Pickus, divisional vice president, Global Citizenship and Policy, Abbott.  "Abbott's partnership with Feeding America is designed to get the right nutritional products in the right places – before a disaster strikes – to empower local food banks to provide a 'first wave' of immediate relief following a hurricane."

If the donated supplies are not needed for disaster relief this season, the participating food banks will combine them with their regular inventory, providing extra assistance to people struggling with hunger on an ongoing basis.

The Abbott disaster relief packs will be pre-staged at the following Feeding America member food banks:

Texas

• Food Bank of Corpus Christi
• Victoria -- Food Bank of the Golden Crescent
• McAllen - -Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc.
• Houston Food Bank
• Beaumont -- Southeast Texas Foodbank

Louisiana

• Alexandria -- Food Bank of Central Louisiana
• Monroe -- Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana
• Shreveport -- Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana
• Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans & Acadiana

Alabama/Mississippi/Florida

• Theordore, AL -- Bay Area Food Bank

Florida

• Tampa Bay -- Feeding America  Tampa Bay
• Jacksonville -- Second Harvest North Florida
• Sarasota -- All Faiths Food Bank
• Tallahassee -- America's Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Inc.
• Ft. Myers -- Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida
• Miami -- Daily Bread Food Bank  
• Orlando -- Second Harvest of Central Florida

Georgia

• Savannah -- America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, Inc.
• Valdosta -- America's Second Harvest of South Georgia, Inc.

South Carolina

• Charleston -- Lowcountry Food Bank

North Carolina

• Elizabeth City -- Food Bank of the Albemarle

Puerto Rico

• Bayamon -- Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico

Feeding America is now in its twentieth year of providing disaster relief services, and was a significant player in response to recent hurricanes. During the past five years, the Feeding America network and our national corporate donors have provided more than 100 million pounds of emergency food and disaster relief supplies to individuals and families affected by disaster.

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.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs approximately 83,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.   Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com.

SOURCE Feeding America