'Top Chef' Head Judge Tom Colicchio On a Mission to Raise Four Million Meals This Holiday Season With Feeding America

'Top Chef' Head Judge Tom Colicchio On a Mission to Raise Four Million Meals This Holiday Season With Feeding America

Cascade Feeds America Teams Up With Celebrity Chef to Fight Childhood Hunger, One Click At A Time

NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 12 million U.S. children currently living on the brink of hunger, Procter & Gamble's Cascade brand has partnered with Feeding America (formerly named America's Second Harvest) in an effort to raise four million meals this holiday season, through the launch of a powerful new Web site, www.CascadeFeedsAmerica.com.

The far-reaching goodwill campaign has joined forces with head judge of Bravo's hit TV series "Top Chef," Tom Colicchio, to shine a spotlight on the cause. With just one click on www.CascadeFeedsAmerica.com visitors will help donate meals to needy children through Feeding America's "Kids Cafe" program, and can also discover a delicious holiday recipe created by Colicchio for "Roasted Chicken and Fingerling Potatoes with Lemon and Rosemary."

"Through Cascade's partnership with Feeding America, the nation's largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization, the brand will play a role in the fight against child hunger," stated Teresa Bello, brand manager for P&G. "This campaign's reward is two-fold, as it also provides a simple way for everyday Americans, despite present economy and family budget constraints, to support an important cause this holiday season."

Made possible through P&G's prestigious Live Learn & Thrive grant, consumers can visit www.CascadeFeedsAmerica.com through December to learn more about Feeding America and the organization's local community food assistance programs.

"Many school children qualify for free or reduced price breakfast and lunch programs at public schools, but often return home at night and on weekends to homes with empty cupboards, where working parents struggle to make ends meet," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. "It is extremely helpful and inspiring when a brand like Cascade steps up to the plate and launches a wide-scale effort to help Feed America."

Up to four million meals will be donated through Cascade Feeds America, and will directly help fund Feeding America's "Kids Cafe," one of the largest child-feeding programs in the nation. 1,700 established Kids Cafes in the U.S. offer children free food, as well as educational and recreational neighborhood activities.

"The power of food goes far beyond our taste buds," said Colicchio. "One episode during last season's 'Top Chef' strove to educate kids on the importance of food and healthy cooking, and I feel it's imperative to raise awareness that many children do not have access to regular, nutritious meals. Eradicating child hunger is a personal passion of mine, and I'm proud to be a part of Cascade Feeds America, to help make a difference toward this cause."

For more information about the Cascade Feeds America program and Feeding America, please visit www.CascadeFeedsAmerica.com.

About Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG)

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of over 135,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brand.

About Tom Colicchio
Chef/Owner Craft restaurants & 'wichcraft

Tom Colicchio has opened highly successful restaurants including Craft, Craftbar, Craftsteak, and 'wichcraft. He is the winner of several James Beard awards and author of cookbooks including Think Like a Chef (Clarkson Potter, 2000) and Craft of Cooking (Clarkson Potter, 2003). Colicchio applied his years of experience as head judge on Bravo's hit reality cooking series "Top Chef," the Emmy and James Beard-winning show which premieres its fifth season November 12, 2008. He regularly appears on national TV shows, including The Today Show and The Martha Stewart Show and his restaurants give back to the community by supporting charities including: Children of Bellevue, City Meals- on-Wheels, The College Fund, Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Doctors of the World.

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity, 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 in all of its forms.

Source: Procter & Gamble

CONTACT: Carolyn Pilkington, MS&L, +1-212-468-3541,
Carolyn.pilkington@mslworldwide.com, or Susan Baba, P&G, +1-513-983-1920,
baba.so@pg.com

Web site: http://www.pg.com/
http://www.cascadefeedsamerica.com/

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