From the Bottom of New York's Heart: JetBlue Hosts Food Drive Under the 2011 Times Square Valentine 'Light Hearted' to Benefit Hunger Relief in New York City

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- New York staple JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) and the Times Square Alliance invite residents, businesses and visitors alike to band together at the 2011 Times Square Valentine, "Light Hearted," on Friday, Feb. 18 to give back to the community loved by all.  The airline, together with its long-standing charitable partner DoSomething.org, the leading organization for teens and social change in the U.S., and New Jersey-based non-profit organization Move for Hunger will host a canned food drive in Duffy Square -- in the heart of Manhattan – for distribution to the Food Bank For New York City.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110216/NY49312LOGO)

In a symbolic show of support, volunteer crewmembers from the airline's metro airport locations will be on-location this Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to lift up "Light Hearted" while collecting non-perishable canned foods to support families in need throughout the five boroughs. Since Thursday, Feb. 10, groups of four to six volunteers at a time have held the heart up on display for up to 15 minutes.  The exhibit lasts through February 20th. Volunteers to hold up the heart can register online at www.timessquarenyc.org/valentine.

In exchange for a donation of two cans or more, JetBlue will also provide a unique promotional code for $15 off each way on the purchase of a roundtrip flight from New York to any destination in the JetBlue network. The offer is limited to one per person.(a)

"As New York's Hometown Airline, JetBlue is committed to giving back to the local customers, crewmembers and community we have called 'home' for more than 10 years," said Ariana Hopkins, regional marketing manager for JetBlue.  "We live here, work here, and volunteer here, and we are excited to offer our continued support to DoSomething.org and Move for Hunger with this week's canned food drive. We encourage everyone to come see this year's beautiful Times Square Valentine and make a difference in support of a better New York."

"According to the Times Square Alliance, 500,000 people walk through Times Square each day. At DoSomething.org we believe it is important to use the visibility of Times Square to showcase people doing good," said Naomi Hirabayashi, director of marketing at DoSomething.org. "We look forward to people coming out this Friday to take action against hunger in New York through canned food donations and to help spread a little love."

"With one out of five children in New York City relying on emergency food assistance, it has never been more important for the community to come together to help those in need,"  said Adam Lowy, Executive Director of Move For Hunger.  "We are thrilled to be involved in this great day of service, and would like to thank Steinway Moving & Storage, Lowy's Moving Service, and Victory Packaging for their generosity in helping make this event possible."

Move for Hunger, a former DoSomething.org grant recipient, is dedicated to raising public awareness and responsiveness of America's hunger.  The organization works with moving companies across the country to strengthen the efforts of community food banks.  By teaming up with a moving company, the food banks no longer need to provide resources for collection and transportation, saving them money to spend on other hunger initiatives.

Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins said: "We are so pleased that JetBlue and their crewmembers are helping us lift the 2011 Times Square Valentine while also helping families in need. JetBlue, DoSomething.org, and Move for Hunger's involvement in the 2011 Times Square Valentine is more than we ever could have imagined when we commissioned 'Light Hearted' as participatory public art."

The Times Square Valentine is an annual competition for architects to design and build a heart for display in Times Square in February to celebrate Valentine's Day. This year's winning design, unveiled last week by the Times Square Alliance and funded in part by JetBlue, is "Light Hearted," created by Lauren Crahan and John Hartmann of Brooklyn-based Freecell studio.  A drawing of the 10-ft heart is available online at www.timessquarenyc.org/arts.  

About Times Square Arts

Time Square Arts presents temporary cutting-edge art and performances in multiple forms and media to the 360,000 to 500,000 daily visitors to New York City's Times Square, making it one of the highest profile public arts programs in the United States. Since its inception, Times Square Arts has featured works by a diverse group of more than four dozen prominent and emerging artists. It is funded by the Rockefeller Foundation's Cultural Innovation Fund, which works to spur and support cultural innovation in New York City's creative sector; and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

About DoSomething.org

DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US that helps young people rock causes they care about. A driving force in creating a culture of volunteerism, DoSomething.org is on track to activate two million young people in 2011. By leveraging the web, television, mobile, and pop culture, DoSomething.org inspires, empowers and celebrates a generation of doers:  teenagers who recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. Plug in at www.DoSomething.org.

About Move For Hunger

Move For Hunger is a non-profit organization that works with moving companies across the country to pick up unwanted, unopened food from those who are relocating and deliver it to local food banks across the country. To date, Move For Hunger is working with over 130 movers in 32 states and has collected more than 155,000 pounds of food. With the support of its partners, Move For Hunger is turning the average food drive into one of the nation's largest, year-round service programs. For more information or to find out how you can help support Move For Hunger, visit www.MoveForHunger.org and make an online donation to help our hunger relief efforts.

About JetBlue Airways

New York-based JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. In 2010, the carrier ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low-Cost Carriers in North America" by J.D. Power and Associates, a customer satisfaction recognition received for the sixth year in a row. Known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (based on average fleet-wide seat pitch) and super-spacious Even More Legroom seats. JetBlue is also America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control. Visit www.jetblue.com/promise for details. JetBlue serves 63 cities with more than 600 daily flights. Later this year JetBlue plans to introduce service to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos; Anchorage, Alaska; and Martha's Vineyard, Mass. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information call +1 800 538 2583 from the U.S.A., TTY/TDD +1 800 336 5530, or visit www.jetblue.com.

(a) Offer ends 03/11/2011 (11:59 PM ET). Valid only for flights purchased on jetblue.com/promo. Code (case-sensitive) is for one-time use toward newly-booked travel; cannot be combined with other offers; not redeemable for cash, but is transferable. Valid for $15 off base fare each way for travel from any NY Metro Area Airport (JFK, LGA, SWF, HPN) to Any JetBlue city from 02/18/2011 to 04/13/2011. Roundtrip travel required. If travel changed/cancelled, discount is forfeited and fare differential plus $100 change/cancel fee per person applied. Cancellations are for JetBlue travel credit only, valid for one year. If reservation is not changed/canceled prior to scheduled departure, all money associated with reservation is forfeited. All fares must be purchased at time of reservation, and are oneway, and nontransferable. JetBlue reserves the right to deny boarding to passengers without proper documentation. Other restrictions apply.

SOURCE JetBlue Airways