America's Second Harvest Changes Name to Feeding America

Nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity changes its name to better
engage the public in the fight against hunger

CHICAGO, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Effective immediately, America's
Second Harvest--The Nation's Food Bank Network, an organization of more than
200 food banks that provide food and grocery products to food pantries, soup
kitchens and other emergency food agencies across the country, is now named
Feeding America. The primary objective of the branding change is to more fully
engage the public in the fight against hunger.

As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, Feeding America
recognizes that there has never been a more important time to involve the
nation in an all-out effort to help millions of Americans who live on the
brink of hunger. According to the USDA, more than 35 million Americans live
in food-insecure households, meaning that they do not always have access to
adequate amounts of nutritious food necessary to maintain good health. The
previous national brand, America's Second Harvest--The Nation's Food Bank
Network, was relatively unknown to the general public, potentially limiting
the organization's ability to secure and distribute more food to food banks
across the country.

"With 1 in 8 Americans struggling with food insecurity issues, there is
definitely a need for greater prominence of the hunger issue," said David
Taylor, Feeding America Board Chair and Group President of Global Home
Products for Procter & Gamble. "Food provides great physical, emotional and
spiritual strength: food is a chance for a better tomorrow, helping build a
strong foundation for the future. This branding shift will help us elevate
hunger-relief programs for greater visibility and involvement."

"This change to Feeding America represents a deep commitment to our mission
and public engagement on the issue of hunger," said Vicki Escarra, president
and CEO of Feeding America. "From the research, we know that our new identity
also invites the public to understand and commit to fighting hunger, clearly
acknowledging that each of us is connected to it. It motivates the public to
take action and become educated on the issue. Our efforts to engage the public
will have faster results because the name is so direct and action-oriented,
which will translate to a better use of our resources."

Feeding America conducted in-depth research to better understand how its
mission can better motivate the public to meaningfully and profoundly become
engaged in hunger relief and, ultimately, create stronger public will for
tackling the issue. The name Feeding America aims to directly convey that the
organization provides access to food for people who need it. It also
communicates the positive power of food to be a catalyst in people's lives. In
essence, "feeding" has multiple meanings -- providing both a fundamental need
for survival and the opportunity to enrich lives.

Feeding America was founded in 1979. It distributed 2.5 million pounds of food
to a network of 13 food banks in its first year operation. Today, its national
network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food and grocery
products to more than 200 food banks in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico.

"Feeding America stands for food banks throughout America that are serving
communities in ways that no other organization can," added David Weaver,
executive director of the South Plains Food Bank in Lubbock, Texas, and
current president of Feeding America's National Council, an elected committee
of food bank leadership that helps guide food bank membership. "As a leader of
a food bank in the Feeding America network, I'm excited about the potential it
brings in helping us to feed more hungry Americans."

"With hunger becoming a rising issue that faces unprecedented urgency, it's
critical that Feeding America not follow dated stereotypes, but rather elevate
the issue of hunger to a higher relevance," added Escarra. "A child who is
hungry and cannot learn becomes an adult who cannot earn. With 13 million
children in this country at risk of hunger, this is an issue of critical
national concern. The bottom line is that the public must be significantly
more informed about the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation, and more
engaged in the effort to ensure that all Americans have access to adequate
amounts of nutritious food."

For more information on how you can get involved or make a financial
contribution, visit www.feedingamerica.org.

About Feeding America (Formerly America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food
Bank Network)
Feeding America provides individuals and families facing hunger with the fuel
to survive and even thrive. As the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief
charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans
each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the
entire United States, more than 200 member food banks operate 63,000 agencies
that address hunger through emergency food assistance and programs. For more
information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the
country, visit www.feedingamerica.org.

SOURCE Feeding America

Ross Fraser of Feeding America, +1-312-641-6422