Paula Deen Supporting Bi-Lo’s Annual Holiday Hunger Relief Program
November 19, 2012
BI-LO initiative to help local food banks feed Columbia-area families
COLUMBIA,SC – November 19, 2012 – Author, entrepreneur and restaurateur, PaulaDeen, a longtime advocate for hunger relief, is teaming up with BI-LO tosupport the grocery chain’s annual effort to stock local food banks forthe upcoming holiday season.
Now through Wednesday, Dec. 26,BI-LO customers in Columbia and elsewhere in Georgia, North Carolina,South Carolina and Tennessee can participate in BI-LO’s Holiday HungerRelief program by making a monetary donation in increments of $1, $3 or$5 at the check-out. Funds raised will be distributed to local foodbanks, to provide as many meals as possible this holiday season.
Appearingat a kick-off event at a BI-LO store in Greenville, S.C., Deen backedthe Holiday Hunger Relief program with words of personal support andteamed up with BI-LO to make a generous donation on behalf of SpringerMountain Farms, a family-owned business raising chicken for more than 60years, to food banks in the area. In addition, BI-LO has promised tomatch customer donations up to $15,000 in the Upstate.
A nativeof Albany, Ga., Deen overcame tragedy and poverty in her life by usingher traditional Southern cooking to begin a meal delivery service out ofher home. With love, hard work and some help from her sons, herbusiness grew into a restaurant, then a Food Network show, to anenterprise with 17 licenses and a broad gamut of good living products. Grateful for the blessings in her life, Deen works tirelessly to give tothose in need, with a special passion for hunger relief.
“Thisholiday season we have improved the Holiday Hunger Relief program byallowing charitable organizations to select food products based on theneeds of the families they serve instead of providing pre-packageddonations,” said BI-LO Regional Vice President, Sam Blaiss. “With thesupport of our generous customers, BI-LO is dedicated to helpinghard-working Columbia-area charities in the effort to ensure no familygoes hungry over the holidays, especially during this time of increasedeconomic hardship.”
Participating food banks in the Columbia area include:
· Good Samaritan House of Winnsboro
· Harvest Hope Food Bank of Columbia
· Mission of Hope Ministries of Cayce
· Newberry County Manna House Food Pantry
· Operation Reach Out of Leesville
· Sharing God’s Love of Irmo
· We Care of Chapin
· United Ministries of Sumter County
“TheBI-LO Holiday Hunger Relief Program will mean a lot to us this yearbecause donations are down and demand is up,” said Manna HousePurchasing Agent Wayne Mitchell. “Manna House appreciates a programlike this from BI-LO to get us through the hard times of these badeconomic times.”
BI-LO has been working with local food banks torelieve hunger during the holidays for more than 15 years, donating morethan one million pounds of food to feed families in the communities itserves.
For more information about BI-LO or to find a store near you, please visit. www.bi-lo.com.
About BI-LO
BI-LOis a subsidiary of BI-LO Holding, which is the ninth-largesttraditional supermarket chain in the United States. Under the bannernames of BI-LO and Winn-Dixie, the company employs 63,000 team memberswho serve customers in 687 grocery stores and 493 in-store pharmaciesthroughout the eight southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia,Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.BI-LO and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brandswith deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of givingback, talented and loyal team members, and strong commitments toproviding the best possible quality and value to customers. For moreinformation, please visit www.bi-lo.com and www.winn-dixie.com.
