Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Sweeten NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball Championship With College All-Star Game And Go Reese's Fan Promotion

HERSHEY, Pa., March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With NCAA March Madness® underway, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is getting in on the action by announcing their sixth year in sponsoring the Reese's College All-Star Game, which will be played as part of the 2014 NCAA Final Four weekend.  The game complements the brand's sponsorship of Reese's Final Four Friday® and its relationship as the official candy partner of the NCAA.  To celebrate March Madness, fans can enter the Go Reese's promotion to win a variety of prizes, including a trip to the 2015 NCAA Men's Final Four, at www.GoReeses.com through April 8.

This year, Reese's Final Four Friday and the Reese's College All-Star Game will take place on Friday, April 4 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.  Reese's Final Four Friday activities will begin at 11 a.m. CDT and will feature practices from NCAA Final Four teams, then the Reese's College All-Star Game will tip-off at 4:30 p.m. CDT.  The broadcast of the game will be taped and air on CBS the next day, Saturday, April 5, at 11 a.m. CDT with Verne Lundquist, Doug Gottlieb, Steve Lappas and Allie Laforce calling the action.  Mark Turgeon from University of Maryland and Johnny Dawkins from Stanford University will serve as head coaches for the East and West teams.  The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) will announce additional game information, including team rosters during game week.

In addition, Reese's Final Four Friday will culminate with a special celebration for Service Learning Adventures in North Texas (SLANT).  Reese's brand and Walmart, the presenting sponsor of the Reese's College All-Star Game television broadcast, will recognize approximately 7,000 youth from North Texas communities that conducted community service projects leading up to the NCAA Final Four weekend.  Reese's brand and Walmart will also provide SLANT a $10,000 grant during the celebration.  The SLANT celebration will begin at 7 p.m. CDT.

"We are thrilled about the activities the Reese's brand is involved with for the NCAA Tournament and the Final Four this year," said Anna Lingeris, spokesperson, Reese's brand.  "The Reese's College All-Star Game and Reese's Final Four Friday is a great way to sweeten our NCAA partnership.  We are especially excited about the charitable aspect this year with SLANT and the work they do for children in North Texas."

"We want to take this opportunity to thank Reese's brand for its ongoing support during Final Four weekend, and especially as the title sponsor of the Reese's College All-Star Game and Reese's Final Four Friday," said Keith Martin, NCAA managing director of championships and broadcast alliances.  "It is a great way for basketball fans to enjoy the festivities around Final Four Friday and also enjoy their products.  We are pleased that Final Four Friday continues to get visibility, and we appreciate Reese's loyalty and support to our student-athletes and NCAA championships."

This is the second year the Reese's brand is participating in Reese's Final Four Friday, which features practices of the Final Four teams along with fan activities, including entertainment and giveaways.

The Reese's brand is the official candy partner of the NCAA and in addition to sponsoring Reese's Final Four Friday and the Reese's College Basketball All-Star Game, it also sponsors the Reese's Senior Bowl.  The Reese's Senior Bowl is the football's premiere college football senior showcase.  It annually features the country's best senior college football players and top pro football draft prospects.

As part of Reese's March Madness activity, the brand recently launched Reese's Fan Edition Printed Cups, a new line of peanut butter cups with basketball designs printed on them.  It marks the first time the Reese's brand is using edible printing technology for its peanut butter cups, which will be available in 10 different designs at Target and Walgreens.

For more information on the Reese's brand, visit www.reeses.com and find us on Twitter @ReesesPBCups and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Reeses.

About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, Pa., The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and approximately 15,000 employees. With revenues of more than $7.1 billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more than 80 brand names, including such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bliss, Hershey's Special Dark, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers.  The company is focused on growing its presence in key international markets such as China, Mexico and Brazil while continuing to build its competitive advantage in the United States and Canada.

For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where its employees live, work and do business. Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the company's global business strategy, which includes goals and priorities focused on fair and ethical business dealings, environmental stewardship, fostering a desirable workplace for employees, and positively impacting society and local communities. Milton Hershey School, established in 1909 by the company's founder and funded by a trust administered by Hershey Trust Company, provides a quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. Students of Milton Hershey School are direct beneficiaries of The Hershey Company's success.

About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 450,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Allstate, Buffalo Wild Wings, Buick, Burger King, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Nabisco, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's (Hershey's), Unilever and UPS.

*NCAA, March Madness, Final Four Friday and Final Four are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

SOURCE The Hershey Company