[media-credit name=”doverinternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″]
[/media-credit]Attendees are encouraged to bring food to benefit the Food Bank of Delaware and Philabundance
PHILADELPHIA, May 7, 2012 – Sunoco, Inc. (NYSE: SUN) is holding a major food drive for Philabundance and the Food Bank of Delaware at the Dover International Speedway from June 1 to June 3 during the upcoming NASCAR race weekend. Sunoco’s food drive comes during a time when hunger relief organizations are seeing a record number of people coming to them for food.
Throughout the weekend, NASCAR fans are encouraged to donate food and monetary donations to volunteers located at various locations on Speedway grounds. Each day of the race weekend, Sunoco is raffling off a $100 gas gift card for those who donate. Donations will be equally split between Philabundance and the Food Bank of Delaware. Here are some of the most needed items that can also be found at the Giant Food Store in RV Lot 10 off of Leipsic Road:
• Canned/ Shelf-stable tuna
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Canned Pasta
• Canned Beef Stew
• Canned Chili
• Soup
• Canned Beans
• Long Grain Rice
• Creamy Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Canned Green Beans
• Canned Corn
• Canned Fruit
• Breakfast Cereal and Hot Cereal
• Juice Boxes
Feeding America, the national network of more than 200 food banks, released the 2010 Map the Meal Gap study showing that more than 153 million meals were missed by people in the Delaware Valley and in the state of Delaware in 2010 due to food insecurity. In the Delaware Valley, more than 133 million meals were missed. In Delaware, close to 20 million meals were missed.
Attendees can help drive out hunger by dropping off donations and pick up more information and giveaways at the following drop off locations:
Friday:
• 10 am – 5 pm, FanZone
• 9 am -5 pm, RV Lot 10
Saturday:
• 9 am – 2 pm, FanZone
• 9 am -5 pm, RV Lot 10
Sunday:
• 7 am – 1pm, Lot 1
• 7 am – 1pm, FanZone
• 7 am – 1 pm, RV Lot 10
Monday:
• 7 am – 12 pm, RV Lot 10
NASCAR returns to the Monster Mile for the June 1-3, 2012 race weekend, featuring the June 3 “FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the June 2 “5-hour ENERGY 200” NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the June 1 “Lucas Oil 200” NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. For tickets or more information, call 800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.
“We are excited to partner with Philabundance and the Food Bank of Delaware in this major effort to collect food and raise awareness for hunger relief in the Delaware valley,” said Ruth Clauser, president of the Sunoco Foundation. “With tens of thousands of fans expected to visit Dover International Speedway for three separate race days June 1 through June 3, we hope to raise a significant amount of food supplies.”
“For families in need, summer months are not carefree because of the higher grocery bills that result when kids no longer get school breakfast and lunches available during the school year. Summer months can create a dilemma for thousands of families trying to put three meals on the table every day,” said Bill Clark, president and executive director of Philabundance. “We are happy to partner with the Food Bank of Delaware, Sunoco and Dover International Speedway to help stock the shelves with food to meet the growing need at this critical time.”
“We’re proud to be partnering with Sunoco, Philabundance and Dover International Speedway on this critical food drive,” said Food Bank of Delaware president and CEO Patricia Beebe. “With one in six Americans depending on emergency food assistance, and more than 25 percent of Delawareans, resources are needed now more than ever. Heightened awareness of the issues of hunger will allow us help address the needs facing so many in our communities.”
Sunoco has partnered with Philabundance since 1993. Sunoco has contributed more than $750,000 in fuel to Philabundance since 2005. The fuel is used to fill Philabundance’s fleet of trucks which travel about 16,000 miles a month, 192,000 miles a year. Safe and vital communities are the key to thriving neighborhoods and a healthy business environment. To help ensure our communities remain strong, Sunoco partners with local organizations to provide assistance to those most in need. Sunoco has given over one million dollars’ worth of fuel through in-kind and cash donations to local agencies such as Philabundance and the American Red Cross.
The Food Bank of Delaware distributes between seven and 10 million pounds of food and grocery products each year its network of 475 hunger-relief program partners throughout the state and also provides thousands of meals a month for children through the After-School Feeding Program, the Summer Food Service Program and the Backpack Program. The Food Bank’s hunger-relief programs directly provide for 241,600 Delawareans at risk of going without meals each year. For more information about the Food Bank of Delaware, visit www.fbd.org or call (302) 292-1305.
Philabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need in partnership with organizations and individuals. Philabundance provides a full plate of services through direct service programs and a network of close to 500 member agencies in 9 counties. Philabundance serves approximately 65,000 people per week at a cost of 50 cents per meal. There are more than 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley who are at risk for chronic hunger and malnutrition. In 2011, Philabundance distributed 21 million pounds of food. For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900. Visit us on Facebook, Facebook.com/Philabundance and follow us on Twitter, Twitter.com/Philabundance. If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please call Philabundance’s Food Help Line, 800-319-Food (3663).
In addition to Sunoco’s direct corporate giving, The Sunoco Foundation disburses separate charitable dollars within our communities where Sunoco has a presence. Through targeted grants, we partner with a diverse group of nonprofit organizations that share our vision to leverage our investments with a core focus in the areas of education, civic and economic empowerment, arts and culture, and health and human services.
