Kraft Foods Kicks-Off National Hunger Relief Program

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday in New York City, Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) – will kick off Huddle to Fight Hunger at a special "tailgate" event on the Pedestrian Walkway on Broadway between 34th and 35th Streets.  The program, which is Kraft Foods' largest branded hunger relief program ever executed in the United States, is designed to achieve a significant goal: give 20 million meals or more to Feeding America in 2010.

To celebrate the launch of Huddle to Fight Hunger, Kraft Foods is the monetary equivalent of a 100,000 meal donation to Feeding America on behalf of local food banks in the tri-state area, as well as encouraging New Yorkers to attend the tailgate event from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. to help Kraft Foods give additional meals by participating in a series of interactive activities.  New Yorkers may also have the opportunity to meet football legend Joe Montana, sportscaster Erin Andrews and chefs Pat and Gina Neely, who are leading the huddle.

"Hunger is a very serious issue in our country that often goes overlooked," said football legend Joe Montana. "Sadly, nearly 1.5 million New Yorkers and nearly 49.1 million Americans struggle to put food on their tables.  That's why we need to huddle together to address this problem.  It can't be overlooked anymore."

Get Off the Bench

During the tailgate, New Yorkers and visitors can get in the game by participating in a series of interactive activities like a quarterback toss, an interview about their perspective of the issue of hunger and a cooking demonstration from the Neely's.  Each activity is designed to allow participants to generate additional meals for local tri-state area Feeding America food banks.

Event visitors can also join the huddle at www.huddletofighthunger.com, which will generate an additional meal for a Feeding America food bank serving New York City.  They'll also be able to register for the chance to win a trip to the first-ever Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.  The game, which will be hosted at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Sunday, January 9, 2011, will feature teams from the PAC-10 and WAC and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to see several of Kraft Foods' iconic brand characters including Planters Mr. Peanut, Oreo Stuffy, Kool-Aid Man, as well as the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.  

"Having supported Feeding America for decades, we want to make sure everyone knows how committed we are to reaching our goal," said Lisa Mann, Vice President of Consumer Experiences, Kraft Foods.  "So we're pulling out all the stops – we've secured great celebrity partners to help champion the cause, enlisted the support of our power brands and are staging an amazing tailgate to help encourage New Yorkers to get into the game."  

For those that are unable to participate in the tailgate, Kraft Foods is encouraging them to join the huddle at www.HuddleToFightHunger.com.  For every person that joins the huddle online, Kraft Foods will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.  Americans should also be on the lookout for special Huddle to Fight Hunger coupons that will be available online and in newspapers nationwide on Sept. 26, 2010.  For every coupon redeemed, Kraft Foods will also donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America.  

For more information about the Huddle to Fight Hunger program, visit www.huddletofighthunger.com.

About Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods is taking a stand when it comes to fighting hunger and promoting healthy lifestyles. The company and the Kraft Foods Foundation have donated nearly $1 billion in cash and food to organizations since 1990. Most recently, the company reinforced its commitment by donating $180 million over a three-year period to community involvement activities around the globe.

Kraft Foods is building a global snacks powerhouse and an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love.  With annual revenues of approximately $48 billion, the company is the world's second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in approximately 170 countries.  The portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats.  Approximately 70 brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million.  Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

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.

SOURCE Kraft Foods