Contact: Dan Finanger
Executive Director
612-925-3500, Ext. 12
Jackie Liu
Media & Public Relations Manager
612-925-3500, Ext. 13
TWIN CITIES MARATHON ORGANIZES STUDENT FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT HUNGRY
CHILDREN
Minneapolis, Minnesota – September 5, 2002 – Area students can help
less-fortunate children during the third annual Twin Cities Marathon (TCM)
Student Food Drive, to benefit Second Harvest Heartland. The food drive
runs until Monday, September 23.
"Our partnership with the Twin Cities Marathon has yielded thousands of
pounds of food for our community’s needs over the years," says Second
Harvest Heartland Communications Director Lynn Annis. "The impact of food
and nutrition on the body is something runners certainly understand. It’s
even more important to help underprivileged children develop their minds
and bodies through better nutrition."
It’s natural for students to get involved in a food drive, since 38% of the
people Second Harvest Heartland serves are under age 18; nearly one in six
Minnesota school children is in need of food assistance. Annis says that
100 pounds of food -- approximately 100 cans -- will feed 77 people.
"This food drive encourages young people to make a difference," says Annis.
"Kids can collect food over a few weeks, or plan a collection day in their
neighborhood." Appropriate food items are non-perishable foods in
non-breakable containers (dry staples and canned goods). "If a contributor
is unsure of what to donate, simply ask them to think about what they eat
or prepare for their family." Second Harvest Heartland offers other tips to
help participants, including pick-up services for large donations.
The food drive will continue until Monday, September 23, when a Green Mill
Pizza Party will be presented to the group who collects the largest number
of food items. While the TCM Student Food Drive has been primarily
organized by various school staff and coaches, non-school teams, including
church, neighborhood and community groups are also encouraged to
participate. Contact Second Harvest Heartland Communications Director Lynn
Annis at (651) 484-5117 or email to lynn@2harvest.org. Second Harvest
Heartland is one of several community beneficiaries supported by the Twin
Cities Marathon.
The 2002 TCM weekend is September 27-29. TCM will host the 2002 USA Men’s,
Women’s and Masters Marathon Championships. The three-day weekend
celebration of fitness includes a 5K fun run/walk, children’s fun runs, a
pasta dinner, a two-day health and fitness expo, and a 10-mile race in
addition to the marathon. Major corporate sponsors for the marathon are
Cub Foods, Calhoun Beach Club and Seagate Technology. The major media
sponsors are KARE 11 and Cities 97. Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. is a
non-profit organization that directs the TCM weekend as a community service
for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Visit us at
www.twincitiesmarathon.org/saturday_events.html.
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