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SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Nov. 10, 2004 – One million pounds of food. One Boeing 737 airplane. One hundred years in business.
H-E-B and Southwest Airlines are joining forces to celebrate H-E-B’s 100 th anniversary by delivering the largest food bank donation ever made in a single day. “The Flight to Fight Hunger” takes off Wednesday, Nov. 10 and marks the official kick-off of a yearlong celebration of H-E-B’s 100 years of serving Texas families.
“We can’t think of a better way to begin our Centennial Celebration and the holiday season than to focus on a cause very close to H-E-B’s heart –– hunger relief and prevention,” said Kate Rogers, H-E-B’s Celebration 100 Project Director. “This is about the spirit of giving back and thanking the many communities throughout Texas that have supported H-E-B all these years.”
In one day, H-E-B and Southwest Airlines employees will cross the roads and skies of Texas using H-E-B food trailers and a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 to deliver more than one million pounds of food and related products to the 18 Texas food banks affiliated with America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network. The donations consist of H-E-B’s Own Brand products and products generously contributed by H-E-B suppliers.
The Flight to Fight Hunger begins at 7 a.m. at the Southwest Airlines Maintenance Hangar at Houston Hobby Airport. To start the event, H-E-B Chairman and CEO Charles Butt and Southwest Airlines President Colleen Barrett will both christen new vehicles for their company fleets. For Barrett, it will be a new Boeing 737-700 beginning service with this world-record-setting flight and featuring H-E-B’s Celebration 100 logo prominently displayed on its fuselage. Charles Butt will unveil an H-E-B 18-wheeler freshly painted with a new Celebration 100 design.
“The Employees of Southwest Airlines are delighted to help H-E-B celebrate such a landmark anniversary,” said Barrett. “H-E-B’s people, its leaders and the values it brings to a community have become legendary in our great state, and the company is definitely a role model. H-E-B is synonymous with value and that’s a concept Southwest Airlines is proud to embrace.”
From Houston, the flight will continue to Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, Corpus Christi, Harlingen and San Antonio. At each stop, H-E-B and Southwest Airlines volunteers will unload a portion of the plane’s cargo and distribute it to the food banks in the region. Additional H-E-B trucks filled with donated product will be stationed on the ground to assist with the delivery.
“This incredible contribution by H-E-B and its partners will allow the Texas affiliates of America’s Second Harvest to provide approximately 780,000 meals to families in need,” said Jan Pruitt, President of the Texas Association of Food Banks and Executive Director of the North Texas Food Bank. “H-E-B has been one of our largest corporate contributors for many years and we appreciate all H-E-B and its Partners do to support hunger relief and prevention.”
About H-E-B
For 100 years, H-E-B has been an innovative retailer. Known for its fresh food, quality products and convenient services, H-E-B strives to provide the best customer experience at the lowest prices. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B proudly employs over 56,000 Partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150 communities throughout Texas and Mexico. For more information about H-E-B, please visit www.heb.com .
About Southwest Airlines
Texas-based Southwest Airlines, the fourth largest domestic carrier in terms of customers boarded, currently serves 60 airports in 59 cities in 31 states. Southwest, which began service in 1971 between San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, currently operates more than 2,800 flights a day. For more information about Southwest, please visit www.southwest.com .
About America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network
America’s Second Harvest is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a national network of more than 200 regional food banks and food-rescue programs, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. It distributes 1.4 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. America’s Second Harvest’s network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, operating more than 94,000 food programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, Kids Cafes and Community Kitchens. These local organizations provide emergency food assistance to 23 million hungry Americans, including more than nine million children and almost three million seniors each year. For more information about America’s Second Harvest, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
Media Contacts:
| Brian Dolezal, TateAustin (512) 344-2035 or 619-6742 bdolezal@tateaustin.com |
Kate Rogers, H-E-B (210) 938-8228 rogers.kate@heb.com |
| Melanie Jones, Southwest Airlines (214) 792-4413 melanie.jones@wnco.com |
Ross Fraser, America’s Second Harvest (312) 263-2303 x 127 rfraser@secondharvest.org |