Calgary Food Bank: Husky Help the Hungry Week Kicks off with Citywide Proclamation

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - May 30, 2011) - On behalf of the City of Calgary, Deputy Mayor Jim Stevenson, has proclaimed the week of May 30, 2011 Husky Help the Hungry Week.Husky Energy and the Calgary Food Bank, with the support of Western Canada High School, Calgary Police Service, Calgary EMS, Southcentre and Calgary-area Girl Guides, and our media partners Global TV and XL103 are reminding Calgarians that hunger does not take a holiday.

This year marks the 14^th annual Help the Hungry Week, and the third year of leadership and support by Husky Energy.

"It is particularly sad, in the context of a rich society such as ours, to see a hunger issue in parts of our community," said Husky CEO Asim Ghosh. "So many of us are very fortunate - yet there are many who struggle to provide food for their families. With the valuable work the Food Bank does, it truly is an anchor in our city."

"The generosity and enthusiasm of our event partners is representative of Calgarian's compassion," said Food Bank Chief Executive Officer James McAra. "We continue to experience high demand for emergency food, but because of initiatives like this one, we are able to provide healthy food choices to our clients."

Already this year, Western Canada High School raised more than $14,000 in their lead-up to Husky Help the Hungry Week – a significant jump in their fundraising from last year's $8,000. Last week, student teams competed to design and build the most innovative structure from non-perishable food items (which was later donated to the Food Bank). Food and funds were also collected during other lead-up activities including a teacher vs. student dodge-ball game and a charity concert with local artist Michael Bernard Fitzgerald.

From May 30^th until June 4^th, non-perishable food donations can be dropped off at participating Husky and Mohawk retail stations, Calgary Police Service District Offices, Calgary EMS Headquarters, and Husky Energy's head office. For location details visit www.calgaryfoodbank.com.

May 31^st is National Hunger Awareness Day. In Calgary, volunteers will hand out paper bags during rush hour at select C-Train stations, asking recipients to fill the bags with non-perishable food donations and drop them at any grocery store or Husky Help the Hungry Week donation drop-off locations as listed above. Learn more about what's going on across Canada; visit www.hungerawarenessday.ca.

On June 4^th, from 10:00am until 4:00pm, you can be a Hunger Hero. Calgary Police Service, Calgary EMS, XL 103, Global Television, Calgary-area Girl Guides, and Food Bank volunteers will be accepting donations at participating Husky Markets. Everyone is encouraged to drop by with a donation. For locations visit www.calgaryfoodbank.com.

A Week in Their Kitchen, an annual part of Help the Hungry Week, is underway once again. Average Calgarians representing a broad selection of ages, incomes and experiences have received an Emergency Food Hamper from the Calgary Food Bank. Each participant will prepare their week's meals and snacks from the contents of their hamper, giving them a glimpse into the kitchens of the more than 140,000 Calgarians who relied on food from the Food Bank this year. Participants are blogging about their experiences daily; follow them by visiting aweekintheirkitchen2011.wordpress.com.

Want to get involved? More information can be found at www.calgaryfoodbank.com, by becoming a fan on Facebook, or by following us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/calgaryfoodbank.

For interview requests or photo opportunities, please contact the undersigned.