Arbella Donates $114,000 to Project Bread's Walk for Hunger, Celebrates Fifth Year as Major Corporate Sponsor

QUINCY, MA--(Marketwire - May 8, 2012) - For the fifth year in a row, the Arbella Insurance Foundation proudly served as a major corporate sponsor for Project Bread's annual Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 6. A record number of "Team Arbella" walkers, including 492 employees, family members and friends, turned out for the annual hunger relief and prevention walk, which covers 20 miles through the streets of Boston, Brookline and Newton.

"Team Arbella" raised $64,000 for the cause, making the company the Walk's top corporate organization. Combined with the Arbella Insurance Foundation's $50,000 sponsorship, the company's overall donation totaled $114,000. This year the Tim Thomas Foundation, led by Arbella spokesman, Boston Bruins goalie and hunger-relief advocate Tim Thomas, generously matched up to $5,000 for employee donations to Project Bread and the Walk for Hunger.

"This year is special for Arbella in that it marks our fifth anniversary as a major sponsor of Project Bread and the Walk for Hunger," said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group and chairman and president of Arbella's Foundation. "We couldn't be happier with the turnout and the effort put forth by our employees as well as their friends and families. With hundreds of thousands of people in Massachusetts alone struggling to put food on the table, hunger is now, more than ever, a serious problem. Each year the Walk for Hunger donates millions of dollars towards the fight against hunger, and we are proud to contribute to this worthy cause."

"Year after year we are humbled by the generous contributions of all of our walkers and sponsors," said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread. "Over the past five years Arbella has illustrated its commitment towards ending hunger in Massachusetts by not only donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Walk, but also by encouraging employees to get involved. Arbella always has such a huge presence at the event, with hundreds of employees participating -- we are grateful for their passion and dedication to the cause and proud to call them a partner."

Earlier this spring, Arbella hosted its annual Walk for Hunger kick-off event to encourage employee participation. This year's celebration included special guest Tim Thomas, who is personally committed to the issue of hunger relief. After announcing his Foundation's generous matching funds, and holding a raffle for Bruins tickets, many Arbella employees signed up for the walk, leading to the record number of participants.

Employees from Arbella's Boston, Bridgewater, Randolph, Quincy, Springfield, Wakefield and Connecticut offices participated in the 44th annual Walk for Hunger. The event, which started in Boston in 1969, is the country's oldest continual pledge walk. It begins and ends in Boston Common, with more than 40,000 people participating each year.

About Project Bread
As the state's leading anti-hunger organization, Project Bread is dedicated to alleviating, preventing and ultimately ending hunger in Massachusetts. Through The Walk for Hunger, the oldest continual pledge walk in the country, Project Bread provides millions of dollars each year in privately donated funds to over 400 emergency food programs in 135 communities statewide. Project Bread also advocates systemic solutions that provide food for families in natural, everyday settings, such as schools, after-school programs, summer programs, community health centers, hospitals, and home care organizations. For more information, visit www.projectbread.org.

About the Arbella Insurance Group and the Arbella Insurance Foundation
Established in 1988, the Arbella Insurance Group (www.arbella.com) is a company with more than $600M in revenue with approximately $1B in assets, headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts. Arbella is a customer-focused regional property and casualty insurance company, providing personal and business insurance in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and business insurance in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Arbella Insurance Group founded the Arbella Insurance Foundation in 2004. The mission of Arbella's Foundation is to engage in activities and to support not-for-profit organizations that have a significant positive impact on the people and communities served by Arbella.