Southeast Michigan Children Will Enjoy A Hunger Free Summer in 2011 Thanks to Charter One & Other Generous Supporters

DETROIT, MI, June 30, 2011 (Press-News.org) Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (Gleaners) together with Charter One Foundation and other corporate and community donors announced their plan to provide 2 million meals to hungry southeast Michigan children this summer through their Hunger Free Summer campaign. The campaign has raised over $15,000 toward the goal of $250,000, since Friday's (6/24/11) campaign launch.

Michigan Charter One President Sandy Pierce announced the initiative stating, "When children are hungry, it is difficult for them to learn, grow and thrive. No child should go hungry and we're honored to underwrite the Hunger Free Summer campaign that will provide 2 million more meals for children this summer."

Enterprise Holdings Foundation and Enterprise Rent-A-Car pledged their corporate support while Michigan Group Vice President and General Manager, Chris Gould, demonstrated his commitment to the campaign presenting a generous personal donation. "We are proud to be a supporter of the Hunger Free Summer Campaign," said Gould. "We realize we owe our success to the support and goodwill of the people who live in the communities where we do business. We are committed to assisting Gleaners and Forgotten Harvest in eliminating hunger in Michigan and understand the importance of giving back through monetary donations, volunteerism and food drives."

Pierce greeted children from across southeast Michigan, including more than 100 children from Landmark Church in Hazel Park, the Redford YWCA, Raupp School in Lincoln Park and Cairns Community Center of Mt. Clemens, participants in the agencies' summer feeding programs.

Donations made during the ten-week Hunger Free Summer campaign, (through September 1) will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Charter One Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hiller's and The Young Foundation. Representatives from the organizations said the following about their support for the campaign:

"Ford Motor Company Fund is committed to helping ease the painful reality of hunger in our local communities," said Janet Lawson, director, Ford Volunteer Corps. "Whether it's with our mobile food pantries, volunteer efforts or hunger relief programs, such as Hunger Free Summer, Ford and our employees know that feeding people is an important step toward creating a better world."

"We have had a long-standing relationship with Gleaners and this Hunger Free Summer program exemplifies the Hiller's commitment to supporting our community," said Justin Hiller, Hiller's vice president. "We are always looking for ways to give back and support organizations making a difference in the community."

Additionally, Hiller's and Hollywood Market(s) shoppers can add a Hunger Free Summer donation to their bill at checkout registers.

Gleaners and Forgotten Harvest will provide children with food through their Summer Lunch, BackPack, Daily Bread and mobile pantry programs. Every $1 donation provides eight nutritious lunches for hungry children in southeastern Michigan.

Now through September 1, donations can be made:

• Online at http://www.HungerFreeSummer.org
• Calling 888-332-7140
• Text "HFS" TO 85944 (a $10 donation will be automatically added to donor's cell phone bill -message and data rates may apply.)
• Checks by Mail: Hunger Free Summer, P.O. Box 1380, Troy, MI 48099
• Adding a donation of $1, $3, $5 or more at all Hiller's and Hollywood Market(s) checkout registers

The public can support and follow the campaign at HungerFreeSummer on Twitter and Facebook.

More than 300,000 children in southeast Michigan receive free or reduced-fee meals during the school year but during the summer months, they often go without.

Media Only: For more information, photos from HUNGER FREE SUMMER launch or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Marcy Hayes/C&B Scene: 248.336.8360 (Gleaners)
Kristin Priest/Tanner Friedman: 248.626.0006 (Forgotten Harvest)
Elizabeth Dryden/Charter One Foundation: 248.226.7750

Forgotten Harvest:
Forgotten Harvest was formed in 1990 to fight two problems: hunger and waste. Forgotten Harvest is on track to rescue more than 23 million pounds of food this year by collecting surplus prepared and perishable food from more than 450 sources, including grocery stores, fruit and vegetable markets, restaurants, caterers, dairies, farmers, wholesale food distributors and other Health Department-approved sources. This donated food, which would otherwise go to waste, is delivered free-of-charge to 165emergency food providers in the Metro Detroit area. Learn more about Forgotten Harvest and how to help drive hunger from our community at http://www.forgottenharvest.org.

Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (Gleaners):
Founded in 1977, Gleaners is one of the oldest and largest food banks in the country. Today it distributes more than 36 million pounds of emergency food annually, equivalent to over 532,000 meals per week. Headquartered in Detroit, Gleaners operates a total of five distribution centers, in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties, which provide food to 484 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other agencies throughout southeastern Michigan. Of every dollar donated, Gleaners uses 96 cents for food and food programs. One dollar provides three meals for a hungry neighbor. Learn more at http://www.gcfb.org.

Charter One Foundation:
Charter One Foundation is a subsidiary of the Citizens Charitable Foundation, which is a charitable contributions vehicle of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. The foundation's support is focused on housing, community development and basic human needs. Charter One's website is http://www.charterone.com

Charter One:
Charter One is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. It has approximately 370 branches and 600 ATMs. It has 108 branches and 121 ATMs in Michigan.

RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $132 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG's two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). CFG's website is citizensbank.com.

Hiller's:
Founded in 1941, Hiller's Markets has established a stellar reputation and earned a loyal customer following based on quality, selection, value and exemplary customer service. Hiller's proudly showcases Michigan products and partners with charities and organizations on a regular basis through Scrip partnerships and other collaborative community campaigns.
Learn more at http://www.hillers.com.

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services:
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and American heritage and community life. We teach safe driving skills to teens through the award-winning program Ford Driving Skills for Life. We promote innovation in education through national programs that enhance high school curricula, provide college scholarships and award university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 20,000 Ford employees and retirees work on projects that better their communities in dozens of countries. With ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company, we marked the 60th anniversary of the Ford Motor Company Fund in 2009. For more information, visit http://www.community.ford.com

Enterprise Rent-A-Car:
Founded in 1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an internationally recognized brand with more than 6,000 neighborhood and airport locations in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Germany. Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers a wide variety of car leasing, vanpooling, car sharing and hourly rental programs - and local car rental customers are picked up at no extra cost. For more information, visit http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/home.do.

Hollywood Markets:
The first Hollywood Market was established by the Welch family in June of 1950 in Royal Oak. Today, the family runs seven stores throughout Oakland and Macomb counties. Learn more at http://www.hollywoodmarkets.net.