Diners Across America Eat Delicious Fare on August 29th to Help Ongoing Hurricane Katrina Recovery Efforts

Diners Across America Eat Delicious Fare on August 29th to Help Ongoing Hurricane Katrina Recovery Efforts

Share Our Strength Holds 2nd Annual National Dine-out Program, Restaurants for Relief 2, Presented by American Express in Partnership With Food Network and the National Restaurant Association

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, August 29th, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Americans can eat, drink and make a difference in the lives of those still affected in the Gulf Coast region by participating in Share Our Strength's Restaurants for Relief 2, presented by American Express. This second annual nationwide dine-out program helps Share Our Strength, one of the nation's leading organizations working to end childhood hunger, with its ongoing hurricane recovery efforts.

Diners can support this good cause by going out on Tuesday, August 29th to one of their favorite participating restaurants and enjoying delicious food and drink. A list of participating restaurants, from neighborhood bistros to four-star restaurants and national chains, is available at http://www.strength.org/. Diners can conveniently make reservations online through http://www.opentable.com/ by clicking the link provided for member restaurants in the Restaurants for Relief 2 restaurant list.

Other ways to participate include making a donation through http://www.strength.org/ or purchasing a Restaurant.com dining certificate through http://www.strength.org/. Through the website, a $25 certificate is only $10 and fifty percent or $5 of each gift certificate will go to Share Our Strength's ongoing Gulf Coast recovery efforts.

According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation national survey, 52% percent of Americans recognize there is still "major work" to be done to get New Orleans up and running and 70% percent say that people still have not gotten the help they need. As part of Share Our Strength's mission to end childhood hunger in America, funds raised from a percentage of restaurants' proceeds on August 29th will help rebuild school cafeterias, open summer meal programs, provide assistance for affected restaurant workers, and more.

One year ago, Share Our Strength's first Restaurants for Relief dine-out program, combined with other efforts, raised more than $1.2 million in critical funding that supported schools, community kitchens, feeding programs, farmers' markets, FEMA trailer parks and efforts to aid restaurant and hospitality workers.

"With hundreds of thousands of people still displaced from their homes and so much still to be done, Share Our Strength is committed to being engaged in the Gulf for as long as it takes," said Bill Shore, founder and executive director of Share Our Strength. "Everyone in America has a strength to share during this ongoing crisis. Dining out on August 29th for Restaurants for Relief 2 is an easy way to help our neighbors in the wake of Katrina."

"American Express is committed to the communities where our employees and customers live and work. Our long-standing partnership with Share Our Strength is an important example of this commitment," said Curtis Wilson, vice president and general manager for restaurant industries for American Express Establishment Services. "We believe strongly that Restaurants for Relief 2 will be a powerful vehicle for helping the people of the Gulf Coast recover."

Through promotional partnerships with Food Network and the National Restaurant Association, Share Our Strength will bring Restaurants for Relief 2 to restaurants and diners across America. Food Network favorites, Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray, are featured in public service announcements now airing on Food Network, HGTV, Fine Living Channel and DIY urging restaurants and diners to support this worthy cause. The National Restaurant Association has tapped its member restaurants to support Share Our Strength's efforts as a portion of funds raised will help restaurant and hospitality industry workers' families.

"Food Network is proud to support Share Our Strength's Restaurants for Relief 2 and their inspiring, ongoing efforts to support the Gulf. Through our online and on-air promotions, we hope to raise much needed attention for this important effort," said Mark O'Connor, vice president, public relations for Food Network.

"Restaurants are the cornerstone of our communities, and I know of no other industry that is as giving of its time and talents for those in need as the restaurant industry. On behalf of the restaurant industry, we are so pleased to join Share Our Strength, American Express and Food Network to support the hospitality workers and those affected by Hurricane Katrina," said Steven C. Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the National Restaurant Association.

For more information about Restaurants for Relief 2 or to find a participating restaurant near you visit http://www.strength.org/.

About Share Our Strength

Since 1984, Share Our Strength has led the fight against hunger and poverty by inspiring individuals and businesses to share their strengths. Today, their priority is to end childhood hunger in America. By raising funds to support the most effective community-based programs that feed hungry children, partnering with organizations pursuing long-term solutions, and helping families help themselves through nutrition education programs, Share Our Strength will ensure that the nearly 14 million children facing hunger have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive. For more information, please visit http://www.strength.org/.

About American Express

Establishment Services is the merchant network of American Express, which acquires and maintains relationships with millions of merchants around the globe, which welcome American Express-branded Cards. American Express Company is a leading global payments, network, travel and banking company founded in 1850. For more information, please visit http://www.americanexpress.com/.

About Food Network

FOOD NETWORK (http://www.foodnetwork.com/) is a unique lifestyle network and website that strive to be way more than cooking. The network is committed to exploring new and different ways to approach food -- through pop culture, competition, adventure, and travel -- while also expanding its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is distributed to more than 89 million U.S. households and nine million website users. With headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Food Network can be seen internationally in Canada, Australia, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Monaco, Andorra, Africa, France, and the French-speaking territories in the Caribbean and Polynesia. The E.W. Scripps Company, which also owns and operates Home & Garden Television Network (hgtv.com), Do It Yourself (diynetwork.com), and Fine Living (fineliving.com), is the manager and general partner.

About the National Restaurant Association (NRA)

The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 925,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 12.5 million employees -- making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.restaurant.org/.

Source: Share Our Strength

CONTACT: Hannah Isles of Share Our Strength, +1-202-478-6521,
hisles@strength.org

Web site: http://www.strength.org/
http://www.americanexpress.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
http://www.restaurant.org/
http://www.opentable.com/

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