Dec. 6, 2006
Lift Up America is teaming up with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks to help bring the food and other needed items to those less fortunate in Columbia. Tuesday, Gamecock student athletes and Lift Up America partners Tyson Foods and Interstate Batteries hosted an event to give back to those in need the Columbia community at the Colonial Center. Harvest Hope Food Band assisted the Athletics Department with the distribution to more than 45 area agencies. The food bank serves an estimated 149,000 individuals annually. Lift Up America seeks to help those nationwide with a series of more than 25 events happening in major cities across the nation during the holiday season.
“We are honored to join forces with these great partners to bring more awareness to the problem of childhood hunger in America,” stated John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods. “We hope what we’re doing here inspires others to share their strengths and resources toward finding solutions for the challenges in America and around the world.”
The America’s Second Harvest study “Hunger in America 2006″revealed South Carolina is currently the state with the second highest percentage of hungry people in the nation. An estimated 52 percent of those surveyed by the Harvest Hope Food Bank in 2005 had to choose between paying for food or utilities. An estimated 75 percent of clients surveyed were food insecure.
A recent USDA survey on food security conducted in 2004 and released in 2005 indicated 11.9 percent of U.S. households (13.5 million) were food insecure. At some time during the year, these households were “uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources.”
Founded in 2004 with a mission to give back to communities across the country, Lift Up America continues to nurture its vision of providing important necessities to families and instilling hope in the hearts of our nation’s less fortunate. Lift Up America, fueled by caring corporations and individuals and powered by a humanitarian heart, aims to feed the nation’s hungry; provide hearing and vision screenings; prescription hearing aids and prescription eyewear; alkaline batteries, hope and comfort to children and their families. With the help of more than 700 agencies and more than 30 sports teams, Lift Up America will be bringing needed gifts and compassion to thousands of families nationwide.
“We are thrilled about the partnership and team spirit between these great organizations,” said Dave Hannah, CEO of Lift Up America. “It is truly inspirational to see so many entities coming together with such a noble goal in mind.”
This year, the team consists of Tyson Foods, Give the Gift of Sight (a Luxottica Group foundation), Starkey Hearing Foundation and Interstate Batteries. Tyson is bringing food donations (a total of three million meals) to many cities across America in the fight against hunger “Powered by TysonTM“.
The Give the Gift of Sight Foundation will administer eye exams helping more than 25,000 people by donating brand name prescription eyewear. Starkey Hearing Foundation has allocated thousands of their latest digital hearing aids for this project across the country, with a retail value of more than $25 million. Interstate Batteries will donate $500,000 (retail value) in alkaline batteries, and children will be given the opportunity to participate in the Interstate Batteries Fundraising Program to help raise funds for education and their local supporting agencies.
Remarks from other corporate sponsor leaders include:
“Give the Gift of Sight began with the belief that clear vision is a basic right, not a luxury,” said Kerry Bradley, chief operating officer for Luxottica Retail. “We are proud to Lift Up America to provide this right to those in need, helping them succeed in life.”
“It is important for us to help children because they are the future of the world. If we neglect our children, we neglect our future,” said William Austin, founder of Starkey Hearing Foundation. “This is our best work because it is helping people and that’s what life is about. We live through what we give and have the ability to live on into the future through our gifts back to our community and to humanity.
“We feel blessed to be a part of this amazing grouping of companies, joining together to help those who are truly in need,” said Charles Suscavage, vice president of advertising and public relations for Interstate Batteries. “The ideals of Lift Up America meet with our mission and give us an opportunity to build a strong alliance to help others.”
“Our hope is to give these children the eyes and ears for a better future,” said Dave Hannah, CEO of Lift Up America.
“This team effort is designed to provide the gifts of food, sight, hearing, and comfort to our nation’s less fortunate.”
