TXU Energy is donating $25,000 to Texas food banks - enough to provide more than 125,000 meals to local children and their families. The Dallas-based energy company is contributing $12,500 each to North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) and the Tarrant Area Food Bank.
"With the end of the school year, and lack of school lunch assistance for children, the summer months can pose economic hardship for Texas families," said Jim Burke, CEO of TXU Energy. "We hope this donation will assist those in their time of need."
TXU Energy's donation will help benefit NTFB's various programs such as "Food 4 Kids," a program designed to assist children with or at risk for hunger. To address this problem, the Food 4 Kids Program will supply selected schools with nutritious, kid-friendly, individual-serving foods in backpacks so that school personnel can provide immediate, confidential and direct assistance to students in need. NTFB and TXU Energy want to ensure that all of Texas' children have the healthy meals they need.
"As schools close for the summer, the demand for food increases as families stretch their modest budgets even further. Thanks to TXU Energy's donation, we will be able to provide food assistance to hungry families when they need it the most," said Jan Pruitt, CEO of North Texas Food Bank.
The Tarrant Area and North Texas Food Banks are nonprofit centers for food distribution that procure donated surplus food and transfer it in usable quantities to more than 980 feeding and education programs in 25 North Central Texas counties. These programs include food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, after-school programs, senior citizen centers and other social service centers.
TXU Energy employees are also conducting a food drive of non-perishable food items for donation as well.
**** Note to Media ****
Today, May 16, TXU Energy will host a photo opportunity at 10-11.am at the North Texas Food Bank facility, 4306 Shilling Way Dallas, Texas 75237-1021. TXU Energy volunteers will be working together with North Texas Food Bank volunteers to stuff children's backpacks with food.
About TXU
TXU Corp., a Dallas-based energy company, manages a portfolio of competitive and regulated energy businesses primarily in Texas. In the competitive TXU Energy Holdings segment (electricity generation, wholesale marketing and retailing), TXU Energy provides electricity and related services to more than 2.1 million competitive electricity customers in Texas. TXU Power has over 18,100 MW of generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW of nuclear and 5,800 MW of coal-fueled generation capacity. TXU Wholesale optimizes the purchases and sales of energy for TXU Energy and TXU Power and provides related services to other market participants. TXU Wholesale is the largest purchaser of wind-generated electricity in Texas and fifth largest in the United States. Power generation and related businesses, such as TXU Power and TXU Wholesale, plan to transition toward the new Luminant Energy brand. Visit http://www.txucorp.com/ for more information about TXU Corp.
About North Texas Food Bank
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a nonprofit center for food distribution. The NTFB, a member of America?s Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, was recognized by them as Food Bank of the Year in 2001. Celebrating its 25th year, the NTFB is a nonprofit center for food distribution that procures donated surplus food and transfers it in usable quantities to over 678 feeding and education programs in 13 North Texas counties.
These programs include food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, after-school programs, senior citizen centers and other social service centers.
Last year, 37 million pounds of food were distributed. Each month, agency pantries distributed food to more than 56,000 families, and on-site meal programs served 464,000 meals/snacks.
About Tarrant Area Food Bank
Celebrating its 25th anniversary as a nonprofit distribution center of donated food, Tarrant Area Food Bank serves a network of 300 social service charities in Fort Worth and 13 surrounding counties. Each month, this network of hunger-relief programs provides emergency groceries to 35,000 families and serves more than 500,000 meals and snacks at Kids Cafes, senior centers, emergency shelters, soup kitchens, low-income child care centers and after-school programs. A certified affiliate of America's Second Harvest - The Nation?s Food Bank Network, Tarrant Area Food Bank is ranked one of the Best in America by Independent Charities of America and is consistently given high ratings by Charity Navigator, the nation's largest independent evaluator of nonprofit organizations.
Media
Sophia Stoller
214-875-8336
Colleen Brinkmann (North Texas Food Bank)
214-347-9594