FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2012
CONTACT
Hillary John or Jim Dau
202-434-2560
Jeff Gordon, Celebrities and Volunteers Fueled Drive to End Hunger Charlotte 1 Million
No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet pit crew wins Hendrick Motorsports Pit Crew Meal Packaging Challenge.
CHARLOTTE, NC – As part of the final leg of the Drive to End Hunger Charlotte 1 Million, the pit crew from the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet won the Pit Crew Packaging Challenge at Hendrick Motorsports’ Fan Fest by packaging 972 nutritious meals, edging out the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, which finished second with 940 meals. The Charlotte 1 Million event at Hendrick Motorsports’ Fan Fest capped the nearly week-long series of activities organized by AARP Foundation to package and donate 1 million meals for hungry older North Carolinians.
“The 2012 Charlotte 1 Million is in the books, and now thousands of older North Carolinians who rely on local food banks to help put food on the table may now know where their next meal will be coming from,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP Foundation President.
Since launching the event earlier this week, more than a thousand volunteers pitched in to package meals that will be directly distributed to food banks throughout North Carolina. All total, the event will package and donate 1 million meals to help feed families all over the state.
AARP Foundation brought together celebrities and volunteers in North Carolina this week for the Drive to End Hunger Charlotte 1 Million. The highlights included:
* The start of the event on Tuesday, May 22 was hosted by UnitedHealthcare in Greensboro, where more than 250 of the company’s employees packaged meals.
* A two-day packaging event at the Charlotte Convention Center May 24 – 25 during the Food Lion Speed Street festival. Volunteers worked side-by-side with celebrities including four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon; tennis legend and AARP Fitness Ambassador Martina Navratilova; and award-winning sports broadcaster and AARP Community Ambassador James “JB” Brown. Miss Sprint Cup and even Disney star Billy Unger participated at the Convention Center on Thursday and Friday.
* All four Hendrick Motorsports pit crew teams competed Friday, May 25 at the Hendrick Motorsports Fan Fest in head-to-head meal packaging races.
For more information about Drive to End Hunger go to www.DrivetoEndHunger.org.
About AARP Foundation
AARP Foundation is working to win back opportunity for struggling Americans 50+ by being a force for change on the most serious issues they face today: housing, hunger, income and isolation. By coordinating responses to these issues on all four fronts at once, and supporting them with vigorous legal advocacy, the Foundation serves the unique needs of those 50+ while working with local organizations nationwide to reach more people, work more efficiently and make resources go further. AARP Foundation is the charitable affiliate of AARP. Learn more at www.aarpfoundation.org.
