Kraft Foods Teams Up With Celebrity Fantasy Team to Attempt to Sur-"Pass" Record-Setting Hunger Relief Success

NORTHFIELD, Ill., Aug. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After a stellar rookie campaign in 2010, Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) will attempt to bowl over its record-setting results in the sophomore season of its largest branded hunger relief initiative, the Kraft Foods' Huddle to Fight Hunger. Through the campaign, Kraft Foods and several of their iconic brands are on a mission to help donate 25 million meals to Feeding America® – an increase of four million meals from 2010's record-setting efforts.

Huddle to Fight Hunger builds upon Kraft Foods' nearly 30-year relationship with Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief organization, to help fight hunger in the United States. Unfortunately, hunger remains a quiet but prominent issue in this nation, as more than 50 million Americans – one in six of our neighbors – live in food insecure households.

To spread the word, Kraft Foods has enlisted high profile partners and personalities to champion the cause, including dozens of retailers across the country, American Youth Football (AYF), celebrity chefs Pat and Gina Neely, football legend Joe Montana and several other football greats.  The program will once again culminate at the popular Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, which will be broadcast live on ESPN from AT&T Park in San Francisco on New Year's Eve.  The game, which last year sold out for the fourth time in five years, will feature Army and a team from the Pac-12.

To reach their aggressive goal, Kraft Foods is rallying communities to join their iconic brands in the Huddle to Fight Hunger on Facebook.  Americans can become part of the team at www.Facebook.com/KraftFightHunger – for each "Like," Kraft Foods will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to a local Feeding America food bank(1). In addition, more than 60 retailer partners from coast-to-coast are huddling to support the campaign and raise additional meal donations for Feeding America via Huddle to Fight Hunger customized programming and in-store displays.  

"Huddle to Fight Hunger builds upon three things Americans are passionate about... football, food and helping others," said Stephen Chriss, Senior Director, Consumer Engagement and Marketing Partnerships, Kraft Foods.  "By leveraging our flagship brands, as well as big stages like the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and iconic partners, we hope to inspire America to join our huddle and help us tackle this serious issue."

"We thank our longtime partners at Kraft Foods for continuing the Huddle to Fight Hunger program," said Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. "The aggressive goal of donating 25 million meals, as well as the efforts to educate Americans about the issue of hunger in our country, is exemplary of Kraft Foods' ongoing commitment to support our efforts to end hunger in America."

A Deep Bench

Joining Kraft Foods' huddle are some of the company's biggest superstar brands including Planters nuts, Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, Capri Sun beverages, Oscar Mayer meats, Maxwell House coffee, Kraft Real Mayo Mayonnaise, Miracle Whip Dressing, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Kraft cheese. These flagship brands all have an equal role in fighting this domestic issue and helping inspire people to support the cause.

Hunger In America

Hunger remains a serious issue in the United States. Leading the fight against hunger is Feeding America who serves an estimated 14 million children.  Through its network of more than 200 food banks and 61,000 agency partners, Feeding America helps provide meals to more than 37 million Americans annually.

For more information about Kraft Foods' Huddle to Fight Hunger, visit Facebook.com/KraftFightHunger.

About Kraft Foods

Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE:  KFT) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love.   Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion, more than half of which was earned outside North America.  Eleven of the company's iconic brands – including Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia and Trident – generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually, and 40 have been loved for more than a century.   A leader in innovation, marketing, health and wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.   For more information, visit www.kraftfoodscompany.com and www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.

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 organization, 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 American Youth Football®

(AYF) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides support services, scholarships, grants, giving back programs and tournaments to over 920,000 youth football players and cheerleaders in 50 states and several countries worldwide. AYF is committed to Giving Back and since its inception in 1996, has donated over $15 million dollars in grants and athletic product to communities that support youth football. AYF was the first national organization to offer all-inclusive football divisions, enabling every child a place to play. For more information visit the website at www.americanyouthfootball.com.

About the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

The not-for-profit San Francisco Bowl Game Association has been the driving force behind the Bowl game since its inception in 2002.  In that time, the game, played at San Francisco's AT&T Park, has generated more than $120 million in economic impact for the City and County of San Francisco.  Several of college football's most storied programs have already participated in the contest, formerly known as the Emerald Bowl.  They include onetime national champions USC, Miami and Florida State, plus California, Boston College, UCLA, Oregon State and Utah.  The 2009 game between USC and Boston College is ESPN's third-most-watched football bowl game ever. The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl will pair Army (provided the Cadets meet or exceed six victories) against the sixth selection from bowl-eligible Pacific-12 schools. If Army or the Pac-12's No. 6 selection fails to qualify, the Bowl has backup agreements with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and Mid-American Conference (MAC). For more information, visit the website at www.kraftbowl.org.

(1) $0.14 equals one meal secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks

SOURCE Kraft Foods Inc.