Suddenlink Partners With The Salvation Army
Eastern NC Communities Urged to Support Drive With Canned Food Donations, Financial Gifts
GREENVILLE, NC – For the second year in a row, Suddenlink Communications is teaming with The Salvation Army to encourage residents and businesses in Eastern North Carolina to help feed families and individuals in need through their Second Annual Christmas Food Drive. The Food Drive was begun by both organizations in 2010 when donations of canned food generated 825 food boxes that fed 825 families composed of approximately 3,300 children and adults.
Local residents and the local business community in the Five Salvation Army- Suddenlink service areas sponsoring the Food Drive can make canned food donations during the four-week period beginning Friday, November 25 and ending Friday, December 23, 2011. In addition, businesses can support the Food Drive through a cash contribution in lieu of canned food donations by sending their cash gifts by mail to their local Salvation Army Corps (check made payable to Salvation Army-Suddenlink Food Drive. Please see listing of Corps mailing addresses at end of this news release).
The goal for this year’s Food Drive is to collect and distribute 1,000 Food Boxes to needy families and individuals. It is estimated that 1,000 food boxes made up of canned food donations will feed approximately 4,000 people this Christmas who are served by the five Salvation Army Corps participating in the Food Drive.
Salvation Army Corps in Greenville, Kinston New Bern, Rocky Mount, and Washington have put together an expanded network of food bin display sites that will be the centerpiece of this year’s Food Drive. Customers of local grocery stores, retail chains and fast food restaurants, and employees at various local workplaces will be encouraged to make donations of canned, non-perishable foods. The Salvation Army-Suddenlink 2011 Food Drive will take place in a 13-county area stretching from the I-95 Corridor to the Inner Banks. In addition, Food Drive bins will be located in five Suddenlink customer service locations to allow the company’s subscribers and customers--and the general public--to donate canned food to this year’s Food Drive. Suddenlink Communications is the nation’s seventh largest cable operator. The company employs nearly 350 people in Eastern NC and has more than 94,000 customers in its North Carolina service area.
“The Salvation Army will do its best to be there for the growing number of adults and children who will visit their local Corps for feeding assistance this Christmas and into 2012,” said Greenville Salvation Army Captain John Sikes. “We are fortunate to have a corporate partner such as Suddenlink, added Captain Sikes. Their (Suddenlink) help is vital if we are to generate enough nourishing food for the thousands of people served by our five Corps who face unemployment, health issues and other personal challenges.”
According to Nancy Fisher, Community Liaison for the Salvation Army’s New Bern Corps, 790 families registered for Christmas feeding assistance this year. That number included 181 families--or about 623 individuals-- who are first time clients, Fisher said.
“We know there is a serious need, and Suddenlink employees are committed to helping meet that need again this year in the communities we serve throughout North Carolina, said Suddenlink North Carolina Senior Vice President Phil Ahlschlager, “We urge our neighbors and business partners in the community to help us meet that need by bringing food donations to our customer retail locations, Salvation Army locations and any other drop-off points.”
Television promotion of the food drive will begin November 25 on Suddenlink’s cable television networks. The commercial will feature well known television personality and sportscaster Jeff Charles who serves as the football and baseball radio voice of East Carolina University. The 30-second television commercial was produced by Eric Loy, owner of the Greenville-based, advertising-public relations agency, Marketing-Matters. The commercial portrays the reality of hundreds of families in Eastern North Carolina that will be receiving Christmas assistance from their local Salvation Army Corps.
This year’s Christmas Food Drive will also be supported by a 30-second radio message from Suddenlink’s Philip Ahlschlager. The message will air on Pirate Radio 1250 and 930 plus 103.7FM WTIB which are serving as the Food Drive’s Radio Sponsors. For a complete listing of Food Drive Food drop- off sites, please contact your local Salvation Army Food Drive Sponsor, or note the Food Bin site listing at the conclusion of the 30-second television commercial.
More Information:
For more information, including contact information, please download the PDF of this newsrelease.