United Airlines Announces $1 Million Grant To Nation's Largest Food Bank

HOUSTON, June 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines announced today a $1 million grant to the Houston Food Bank in support of their School Market program. The School Market program was specifically expanded to assist children attending Harvey-affected schools, which were among the hardest hit after Hurricane Harvey.

United's investment in the Food Bank's School Market program will provide nutritious food to students at 25 schools, each serving an average of 200 households a year. Among the 25 schools, 10 schools will receive new United-branded brick and mortar pantries onsite and 15 will receive mobile pantries. All pantries will be open this fall for the new school year and provide families the opportunity to shop for food throughout the academic year. By improving the quality of food and providing more access to fruits and vegetables, the Houston Food Bank expects to help increase students' fruit and vegetable intake, improve their academic performance and school attendance.

"The Houston Food Bank made a tremendous impact on our community after the storm and United is proud to partner with them in providing additional support to Houston schools," United's Vice President of Houston Operations Rodney Cox said. "We understand that the Houston Food Bank is a life line for so many Houstonians and are confident that the School Market programs will create a positive and lasting effect on the community."

"United Airlines has a special connection to Houston and they continue to be a wonderful partner with the Houston Food Bank," says Brian Greene, president/CEO of the non-profit organization, the largest food bank in the nation.  "Their latest grant will make it possible for us to provide food and nutrition educations to families, including many of whom were impacted by Hurricane Harvey.  We thank United for making this important, substantial investment into one of its largest hub cities."

Today's announcement is the second in a series of announcements United is making in all of its domestic hub markets over the coming weeks. Each grant is a part of a total of $8 million in grants to help address critical needs identified by local leadership in each of its hub market communities – Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Newark/New York and Washington, D.C. The announcement represents United's commitment to invest in and lift up the communities where many of its customers and employees live and work.

Throughout these four-year grants, United will work hand-in-hand with local organizations and engage with city and community leadership to create profound, sustainable advancements. Future announcements will include grant recipients in Washington, D.C., Denver, New York/New Jersey; Los Angeles and San Francisco.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,600 flights a day to 354 airports across five continents. In 2017, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 148 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 750 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 545 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 191 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol "UAL".

About Houston Food Bank

The Houston Food Bank is a solution to both hunger and food waste.  Nationally recognized by Feeding America as Food Bank of the Year in 2015, the Houston Food Bank is the largest source of food for hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties.  Each year, the Food Bank feeds 800,000 individuals through a network of 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and other charities.  We distribute fresh produce, meat and nonperishables from our warehouse at 535 Portwall, where we also prepare nutritious hot meals for kids in our new state-of-the-art Keegan Kitchen.  We rescue food before it reaches the landfill through our Retail Pickup program with area grocery stores.  Additional community services include nutrition education, school-based programs and SNAP (formerly food stamps) application assistance.  Founded in 1982, the Houston Food Bank is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation's food bank network, with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.

SOURCE United Airlines