Newman's Own & Ford Motor Company Donate Refrigerated Truck & Food to Southeast Missouri Food Bank

Southeast Missouri Food Bank is the recipient of a refrigerated cargo van and food donated by Newman's Own and Ford Motor Company. They have partnered with Feeding America (formerly named America's Second Harvest) for the eighth consecutive year to provide refrigerated trucks and food to seven food banks across the U.S.

The truck will be used to deliver food throughout Southeast Missouri to reach people who are hungry or at risk of hunger. The truck was filled with an assortment of Newman's Own products.

A total of 82 vehicles have been donated since the partnership's founding in 2000. The donated trucks have traveled a combined total of more than 3.4 million miles and have distributed over 97 million pounds of food--equivalent to over 76 million meals to rural areas in need.

"This vehicle will provide a necessary lifeline to provide additional products to the food insecure in the 16 counties we serve," said Karen Green, Executive Director of Southeast Missouri Food Bank.

According to the 2008 University of Missouri Hunger Atlas, approximately 64,000 people in Southeast Missouri don't have enough food to feed their families and 35% of those are children. Those living in rural areas find it even more difficult to find the help they need, because emergency food is limited in supply, and fewer agencies are available to distribute it.

The refrigerated trucks will help deliver fresh and nutritious food to hard-to-reach communities that are often underserved. Donated produce, meat, and dairy products usually cannot be delivered to remote areas unless refrigerated trucks are available for long delivery routes.

Feeding America is the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization, providing food to people in rural, urban, and suburban communities. Based in Westport, Connecticut, the charitable mission of Newman's Own is expressed in its company motto: "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good." The Newman's Own Foundation continues Paul Newman's commitment to donate all after tax net profits from its products and related royalties for educational and charitable purposes. Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents.

Other food banks receiving trucks are: The Second Harvest Food Bank of the Chattahoochee Valley in Columbus, Georgia, Mid-Michigan Food Bank in Lansing, Second Harvest Food Bank of San Diego, The Food Bank of North Alabama in Huntsville, The North Illinois Food Bank in St. Charles, Illinois, and The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana in Monroe.