Jewel-Osco & FOX Chicago Help Fight Hunger

Jewel-Osco & FOX Chicago Help Fight Hunger

Campaign to benefit food banks during 'Hunger Action Month'

ITASCA, Ill., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- JEWEL-OSCO, a leading Midwest food and drug retailer, and FOX Chicago, are teaming up during September's "Hunger Action Month" to help generate awareness as well as raise much needed food and funds for food banks across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.

Throughout September, Jewel-Osco will be collecting cash and food donations from the public at all of its 183 stores under the "Give a Little, Feed a Lot" campaign, with a goal of raising enough donations to provide 2.5 million meals that will feed over 220,000 needy families. Customers who donate $1 more to the campaign will receive valuable coupons from participating vendors as a "thank you" for contributing.

The partnership, now in its second year, will benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Northern Illinois Food Bank, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, the Midwest Food Bank, and the River bend Food Bank.

To help highlight the effort and generate awareness about hunger, FOX Chicago will air a series of public service announcements, news reports, conduct online fundraising efforts at www.MyfoxChicago.com, and broadcast live remotes during its popular Good Day Chicago weekday morning show (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) from various Jewel-Osco store locations, as follows:

   Date        City              Jewel-Osco Store Location   9/03/09     Chicago           2940 N Ashland   9/10/09     Glendale Heights  2164 Bloomingdale   9/17/09     Dyer, Indiana     805 Joliet Road   9/24/09     Orland Park       9350 W. 159th   

The public is encouraged to stop by and donate food at these live remotes. The live remotes will feature representatives from local food banks, pantries, community leaders and groups.

"We are very excited to have FOX Chicago as a partner in this important effort," said Keith Nielsen, president of Jewel-Osco. "Working together, and with the generosity of the giving public, we can provide meals to many needy families in our community."

"FOX Chicago is proud to join Jewel-Osco and local food banks as the media partner for Hunger Action Month," said Pat Mullen, Vice President and General Manager, WFLD. "Our intent is to increase awareness of the event and encourage viewers to join the effort."

Hunger Action Month and "Give a Little, Feed a Lot" slogan are the creations of Feeding America, formerly America's Second Harvest. Please visit www.feedingamerica.org for more information about the organization.

About WFLD FOX Chicago

WFLD FOX Chicago is part of the Fox Television Stations group, one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprising 27 stations in 18 markets and covering nearly 37.34% of U.S. television homes. This includes six duopolies in the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Orlando. For more information, please visit www.myfoxchicago.com.

About Greater Chicago Food Depository

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago's food bank, is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 600 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 500,000 adults and children in Cook County every year. Last year, the Food Depository distributed 58 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of 119,000 meals every day. The Food Depository's programs and services for children, older adults and the unemployed and underemployed address the root causes of hunger. For more information, log onto www.chicagosfoodbank.org or call 773-247-FOOD.

About Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) provides nutritious food to all those in need through its own efforts and those of its 520 partner agencies in 13 counties. NIFB acquires, handles, and distributes donated, government, and purchased food to over 60,000 people each week through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth activity centers and other food assistance sites. In FY 09 NIFB distributed 27.2 million pounds of food, including 4.6 million pounds of frozen meat, fresh produce and bakery items picked up from retail stores. The Youth Nutrition Program provided over 900,000 meal equivalents to hungry children. NIFB has launched a Capital Campaign to build a new Distribution Facility to enable them to handle more food more efficiently to meet the increasing demand. Call 630-443-6910 or go to www.northernilfoodbank.org to get involved.

About Food Bank of Northwest Indiana

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana (FBNI) has served all of Lake and Porter Counties since 1982. A nonprofit organization, the FBNI serves 90 partner agencies, including food pantries, shelters, day care centers, and soup kitchens, providing quality food for those in need, advocating solutions for hunger issues, and acting as a key human service referral resource. The GBNI has distributed more than 30 million pounds of food since its incorporation and provides food and hope to more than 70,000 Hoosiers in Lake and Porter counties. For more information, visit www.foodbanknwi.org

About Jewel-Osco

Jewel-Osco, a SUPERVALU company, operates 183 stores in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana. With a market-leading position in Chicago, Jewel-Osco stores offer consumers the convenience of combined grocery and pharmacy retail, in addition to services such as fuel centers at select locations. Originally established in 1899, the company and its associates remain committed to the communities they serve, contributing to a variety of local charitable causes. For more information about Jewel-Osco, please visit www.jewelosco.com or www.oscopharmacy.com.

About SUPERVALU INC.SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery channel with estimated annual sales of $42 billion. SUPERVALU holds leading market share positions across the United States with its approximately 2,500 retail grocery locations, including nearly 900 in-store pharmacies. Through the company's nationwide supply chain network, SUPERVALU provides distribution and related logistics support services to more than 2,500 independent retailers across the country. SUPERVALU has approximately 180,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU, visit www.supervalu.com .

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Jewel-Osco

CONTACT: Hayley Puffer of FOX TV, +1-312-565-5568; or Dawn Pelc of FBNI,
+1-219-980-1777; or Bob Dolgan of GCFD, +1-773-843-7293; or Jarrod Daab of
NIFB, +1-630-443-6910; or Karen May of Jewel-Osco, +1-630-948-6895

Web Site: http://www.jewelosco.com/
http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/
http://www.northernilfoodbank.org/
http://www.foodbanknwi.org/
http://www.oscopharmacy.com/
http://www.supervalu.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment