Canadian Association Of Food Banks And Kraft Canada Call On Canadians To "Click With Kraft To Fight Hunger" To Help Raise $250,000 For Food Banks

TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) and Kraft Canada are calling on Canadians to Click with Kraft to Fight Hunger this summer to help raise much-needed funds for food banks. Canadians can donate online between August 23 and September 3 and Kraft will match donations dollar for dollar up to a maximum of $125,000. The program aims to raise more than a quarter of a million dollars during the critical summer months when food banks experience dangerously low levels of supplies.

"Families need food on the table year-round, but many people don't think about donating to the food bank during vacation season," says Charles Seiden, Executive Director, Canadian Association of Food Banks. "Hunger is always top-of-mind for us, and Click with Kraft to Fight Hunger is just one way that we're working to address it during the critical summer period."

According to the CAFB, the hot months are traditionally a time when demand for food is at a critical high yet supply is at its lowest. Many people are on vacation and food donations diminish. There is also an overall lack of awareness that food is needed at times beyond the more active holiday drives.

The goal of the campaign is to raise at least a quarter of a million dollars with up to $125,000 coming from Kraft's matching dollars. The campaign will take place in nine key centres across the country - Surrey, Edmonton, Regina/Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and St. John's. The funds will be shared among Canadian communities in need through the CAFB and their provincial partners for the purchase of much-needed food that will be distributed to food banks across the country.

"We encourage everyone across Canada to help us support hungry families in this time of need," says Fred Schaeffer, President, Kraft Canada Inc. "We hope that millions of Canadians will join in this effort to surpass our goal of a quarter of a million dollars by logging on to the CAFB Web site to help fight hunger this summer."

People can also mail in donations to the CAFB c/o Click with Kraft to Fight Hunger, 191 New Toronto Street, Toronto, Ontario M8V 2E7. A tax receipt will be issued for all donations.

Kraft Canada has a long-standing partnership with the Canadian Association of Food Banks to lead the fight against hunger in Canada. Kraft Canada donates an average of 2 million pounds of food to the CAFB each year to help feed hungry families. Kraft Canada also contributes to the CAFB through the funding of programs designed to raise awareness of the hunger issue in Canada. Kraft Canada Inc., with corporate headquarters located in Toronto, Ontario, is the largest food and beverage manufacturer in the country.

The Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) is the umbrella organization representing food banks in Canada. The only organization of its kind, through its 230 members, it serves over 2,000 member agencies which reach 90% of people using emergency food programs in Canada. In March of 2003, almost 800,000 different people accessed food banks, including over 300,000 children. Members are primarily community run organizations that rely on volunteers to distribute food. In 2003, the CAFB moved nearly 9 million pounds of food industry donations to its members through the National Food Sharing System (NFSS), the dollar value equivalent of $18 million. In addition to food received from the Canadian Association of Food Banks, food bank members distribute an estimated 150 million pounds of food per year to the less fortunate in their communities. For every dollar raised the CAFB can move $75.00 worth of food.

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