The Dean Foods Foundation And Employees Donate Nearly $50,000 Through 2013 Project Outpour Efforts To Help Promise House At-Risk Youth

DALLAS, Dec. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Every night in Dallas, homeless, runaway, and at-risk teens are seeking a place to sleep. And if they aren't accompanied by an adult, Promise House is the only place in Dallas that will support them with emergency shelter and other services. Earlier this year, Dean Foods employees chose Promise House as the charity of choice and raised nearly $50,000, providing 500 nights of shelter and daily essentials to the most vulnerable in our community: homeless kids and teens.

"Promise House was privileged to have the opportunity to partner with Dean Foods this year. Their employees went above and beyond, raising substantial funds for homeless youth. We are extremely thankful for this partnership," proclaimed Judy Wright, Vice President – External Affairs.

A long-time partner of Promise House, the Dean Foods Foundation supports the organization's feeding programs through an annual grant.  But last spring, the company asked its Dallas/Fort Worth employees to select a charity to serve as the beneficiary for all employee giving and fundraising events throughout the year. Through a voting campaign that highlighted several of the Foundation's recipient partners, the employees chose Promise House.

Then they got to work. Employees organized events ranging from potlucks and bake sales to bingo and penny battles to generate fun and friendly competition. Most recently, the company held its 2^nd annual chili cook-off, raising more than $4,000. The collective effort, internally called "Project Outpour," generated an impressive 300% increase in funds to Promise House beyond the Foundation grants awarded in 2012.

"The fundraising success of our employees doesn't surprise me at all," said Dean Foods CEO, Gregg Tanner. "One of our core values is 'we do the right thing.' As employees of the largest dairy processor in the country, our caring and giving employees embrace organizations that support those in need, especially children."

Promise House has the only emergency youth shelter in Dallas where kids can stay without an adult. The organization also offers many other youth services including counseling, transitional living and education intervention.

About Dean Foods

Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Dean Foods^® is a leading food and beverage company in the United States and is the nation's largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of fluid milk. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Dean Foods portfolio includes TruMoo®, the leading national flavored milk brand, along with well-known regional dairy brands such as Alta Dena^®, Berkeley Farms^®, Country Fresh^®, Dean's^®, Garelick Farms^®, LAND O LAKES^® milk and cultured products*, Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms^®, Mayfield^®, McArthur^®, Meadow Gold^®, Oak Farms^®, Pet^®**, T.G. Lee^®, Tuscan^® and more. In all, Dean Foods has more than 50 local and regional dairy brands and private labels. Dean Foods also makes and distributes ice cream, cultured products, juices, teas, and bottled water. Nearly 19,000 employees across the country work every day to make Dean Foods the most admired and trusted provider of wholesome, great-tasting dairy products at every occasion. For more information about Dean Foods and its brands, visit www.deanfoods.com.

*The LAND O LAKES brand is owned by Land O'Lakes, Inc. and is used by license.
**PET is a trademark of The J.M. Smucker Company and is used by license.

About Promise House

Moving youth in crisis toward safety and success. Promise House embraces homeless, runaway and at-risk youth and providing them with individualized support, skills, encouragement and hope to live a better life. Since 1984, Promise House has had open doors 24 hours a day, 365 days per year to youth and families in crisis. The organization has served more than 70,000 teens and families in North Texas through seven programs covering the vital needs of teens including emergency shelter; transitional living; pregnant and parenting teen services; individual, group and family counseling; Street Outreach; and education intervention. Promise House is dedicated to providing the strength, stability and hope that teens need today to fulfill their promise for a healthy, productive and self-sufficient tomorrow. To learn more, please visit www.promisehouse.org.

CONTACT: Corporate Communications, Sayeda Mahler, 214-721-7766 or [email protected]

SOURCE Dean Foods