Ben E. Keith joins forces with Tarrant Area Food Bank to host holiday food drive
Ben E. Keith employees are collecting food items for the charity; More than 100 volunteers will be working shifts at the food bank during the drive
FORT WORTH, Texas, December 11, 2009 – Fort Worth-based Ben E. Keith Beverages (Ben E. Keith), one of Tarrant County’s largest private companies, has signed on with the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) to host a holiday food drive. Ben E. Keith employees are collecting and donating food items to help Tarrant County residents in need of nourishment during the holiday season. Additionally, more than 100 employees have volunteered to work alongside the TAFB as part of an all Ben E. Keith employee work crew on December 14 and 15. Volunteers will inspect, sort and box donated food to feed thousands of North Texas families in need.
“We have been doing business in Fort Worth for more than 100 years and the community has always shown us tremendous support. We feel very blessed that we are able to give back by supporting to the Tarrant Area Food Bank,” said John Pritchett, general manager of Ben E. Keith Beverages Fort Worth division. “It’s very important to us to help out whenever we can, especially during these hard economic times where more and more families need these charities to keep food on the table.”
The TAFB strives to eliminate hunger in Fort Worth and 13 surrounding counties by providing food, education and other resources to a network of partner charities and their communities. As a central clearinghouse for donated food and groceries, the TAFB receives fresh, frozen and nonperishable food donated by the food industry and the community. All donations serve abuse victims, children, the elderly, the chronically ill, the unemployed, the working poor, the homeless and other North Texans in need.
“It is so important for local companies, like Ben E. Keith, to get involved and do what they can to help. The reputation and influence they have within our community really encourages others to follow their example,” said Bo Soderbergh, executive director of the Tarrant Area Food Bank. “Ben E. Keith employees are not only donating food items, but their time as well. Charitable actions like this allow us to continue to provide Tarrant County residents in need with food.”
About Ben E. Keith Beverage Distributors
Ben E. Keith Company, established in 1906, began selling Anheuser-Busch products in 1933. Today, Ben E. Keith Company – Beverage Distributors is one of the largest independent Anheuser-Busch wholesalers in the country. The company also distributes import beers, craft beers, wine products and nonalcoholic beverages. With 11 regional branches in Texas including Abilene, Austin, Commerce, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Houston, Llano, Palestine, El Paso and Waco, the company operates throughout the state of Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.benekeith.com/beverage.
About Tarrant Area Food Bank
Founded in 1982 as a nonprofit clearinghouse for donated food, Tarrant Area Food Bank is the primary source of food for 300 major hunger-relief programs in Fort Worth and13 surrounding counties. Each month, this network of charities provides emergency groceries to more than 40,000 households and serves 625,000 meals and snacks on their own sites. During the past year (2009), the number of families served by pantries increased 25 percent. For more information, please visit www.tafb.org, or call 817-332-9177.
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Media Contact: Diana DuBois
diana@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191
