FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2011
CONTACT
AARP Media Relations, 202-434-2560
Drive to End Hunger Congratulates Jeff Gordon on Top-12 Finish at Darlington
Initiative has organized donations to provide more than 430,000 meals to hungry seniors
Darlington, S.C.—AARP Foundation President Jo Ann Jenkins released this statement following Saturday’s SHOWTIME Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway:
“I want to congratulate Jeff and the entire Drive to End Hunger team on a strong race this weekend. We’re so proud to be able to help seniors struggling with hunger in South Carolina, and in communities around each of the tracks we visit. This weekend, AARP Foundation made a donation to the Low Country Food Bank in Myrtle Beach equal to 70,000 meals. We’re also thrilled to join with International Speedway Corporation, which will be donating extra food from its tracks on behalf of Drive to End Hunger after each race this season. We wish Jeff good luck in Dover, and we look forward to seeing him back in the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet at Charlotte later this month.
In the first six races with the Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, AARP and AARP Foundation have organized food and cash donations to provide more than 430,000 meals through local food banks.
Drive to End Hunger is a national effort led by AARP and AARP Foundation to end hunger among older Americans. Through AARP’s sponsorship of the No. 24 Chevrolet, AARP Foundation will engage the NASCAR fan base, corporations and charitable organizations via a text-to-donate program; activation at racetracks across the country; further research on the causes and consequences of hunger in older Americans; and an innovative national grant program that will provide resources to address the problem at a local level.
Race fans and the public can learn more or donate to Drive to End Hunger by visiting www.DriveToEndHunger.org.
AARP Foundation is AARP’s affiliated charity. The Foundation is dedicated to serving vulnerable people 50+ by creating solutions that help them secure the essentials and achieve their best life. AARP Foundation focuses on: hunger, housing, income and isolation as our key mission areas. The Foundation envisions: ‘a country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable.’ Foundation programs are funded by grants, tax-deductible contributions and AARP. For more information about AARP Foundation, please log on to www.aarp.org/foundation.
