Alameda County Community Food Bank

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Contact: Judyth Collin
(510) 636-4902

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EGG PRODUCER PART OF 12 MILLION EGG GIVEAWAY
—United Egg Producers and America's Second Harvest Team Up to Feed the Hungry—

OAKLAND, March 11, 2008 — Oakland’s own NuCal Foods is giving the Easter Bunny a run for his money this year. America's egg farmers, including NuCal Foods, are donating more than 12 million eggs during the month of March to help feed the nation's hungry. In coordination with America's Second Harvest – The Nation's Food Bank Network, egg farmers from across the country will be delivering truck loads of fresh eggs to help local food banks meet the increasing demand for high-quality protein foods.

"NuCal Foods is an agricultural cooperative representing four family farms in Northern California which collectively have more than 300 years of egg production farming experience, and we are proud to be partnering with Alameda County Community Food Bank of Oakland, California to provide much needed protein to the most needy in our community, especially during the Easter holiday season," said Chuck Este, President of NuCal Foods.

NuCal Foods will deliver nearly 78,000 eggs to the Alameda County Community Food Bank on Thursday, March 13 at 11 am. NuCal is the only egg producer in the Northern California region that is participating in the egg donation. Along with Oakland, NuCal is donating eggs to locations in San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Contra Costa, Manteca, San Jose, Santa Rosa and in Reno.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous contribution of eggs," said Suzan Bateson, executive director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank. "Providing protein foods is challenging because they are costly and rarely donated. We serve 40, 000 people each week, of which 14,000 are children who need a variety of foods to ensure that they are prepared to learn -- eggs are the perfect, kid-friendly, protein food."

The Alameda County Community Food Bank distributes over 1.5 million pounds of food per month to more than 300 member agencies throughout Alameda County. The agencies include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, child day care centers and community and faith-based organizations.

With each egg containing 13 essential nutrients – including the highest quality protein, choline, folate, iron and zinc – for only 75 calories, the more than 12 million eggs donated comes at a time when food banks are struggling with low inventories, while facing a sharp increase in demand for emergency food.

“We are extremely grateful to America’s egg farmers for their significant donation of more than 12 million eggs to our food bank members across the nation,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network. “Protein is always the hardest food category for our food banks to acquire and a donation of this magnitude will go a long way in helping the more than 25 million Americans we serve who are living on the edge of hunger.”

GENERAL INFORMATION

About NuCal Foods
NuCal Foods is an Agricultural Cooperative representing 4 family farms in Northern California. The family farms in the NuCal family, collectively have more than 300 years of egg production farming experience in Northern California and include: Gemperle Enterprises, a family farm in Turlock, California has been producing eggs for 58 years; Sunrise Farms, Petaluma California is a partnership of farm families with close to 100 years of egg production in Sonoma county; J. S. West Milling, 100 years old and still owned and operated by the founding family is located in Modesto and Turlock California, and Valley Fresh Foods, founded and owned by the same two families for 54 years. NuCal’s family of farms is the largest producer of eggs in Northern California and supplies conventional shell eggs as well as nutritionally-enhanced, cage-free and organic eggs to the consumers in Northern California.

About United Egg Producers
United Egg Producers (UEP) is the nation’s leading trade association for U.S. egg farmers, representing 97 percent of U.S. egg farmers, whose members produce eggs including modern cage production, cage-free, free range, organic and other specialty eggs. UEP is based in Alpharetta, GA. To learn more about the egg industry visit www.uepcertified.com.

About the Alameda County Community Food Bank
Established in 1985, the Alameda County Community Food Bank, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is located at 7900 Edgewater Drive in Oakland and is open M-F, 8:30 – 5. The Food Bank works with 300 community based organizations, including soup kitchens and food pantries, to provide emergency food assistance to 40,000 people in need each week. In addition to food distribution, the Food Bank works to break the cycle of poverty and hunger through education and advocacy efforts. For more information, call (510) 635-3663.

About America's Second Harvest
America's Second Harvest — The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To learn more, please visit www.secondharvest.org.