First Choice Power Has Holiday Hunger in the Bag with Food First™ Program
Retail electric provider’s meal donations reach 300,000 with expansion of weekend food bag program for children in need
This holiday season, First Choice Power is expanding its innovative Food First™ program to help fight childhood hunger during school breaks. Food First, which launched this summer with a weekend food bag program for school-age children, has already provided more than 300,000 meals to Texans in need. Thousands more meals will be given to kids in need by providing take-home bags of nutritious, kid-friendly foods during the Thanksgiving and December holiday breaks.
“Texas leads the nation when it comes to hungry children, and over the holidays, subsidized meal programs through schools are not available” said Brian Hayduk, president, First Choice Power. “With our food bag program, we are hoping to fill a gap and allow kids to enjoy their holidays without worrying about where their next meal will come from.”
First Choice Power has teamed with the East Texas Food Bank in Tyler, West Texas Food Bank in Odessa and the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen to help distribute the bags through their partner agencies such as The Boys & Girls’ Club.
“The East Texas Food Bank is serving more East Texans than ever before - this year we will distribute approximately 19 million pounds of food,” said Dennis Cullinane, executive director at the East Texas Food Bank. “Thanks to the help of our community and support from First Choice Power, we’ve been able to continue to provide food for those in need.”
In addition to conducting the holiday food bag program, First Choice Power invites the community to participate in the following opportunities to give back this Holiday season:
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Report giving to a local food bank through First Choice Power’s online form and the company will match donations up to $5,000.
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12 Days of Christmas: Starting Dec. 6, First Choice Power will be conducting 12 days of giveaways and charitable donations. To participate, follow First Choice Power on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
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Facebook poll: Vote for your favorite local Texas food bank on First Choice Power’s Facebook page. The first place food bank will receive a $1,500, the second place a $1,250 and the third place a $750 donation.
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Leftover Canned Food Drive: On Black Friday (Nov. 26), shoppers can bring their leftover non-perishable food items to four DFW Conn’s locations for a chance to win an Energy Star® rated refrigerator.
To stay up-to-date on all the ways you can participate in the ways First Choice Power is giving back this season, follow the company on Twitter, join the Facebook page, or subscribe to The Current blog.
About First Choice Power
First Choice Power is an energy company committed to identifying what is most important to our customers and putting their needs first. Texas business and residential can depend on First Choice Power for competitive pricing and excellent customer service. First Choice Power is committed to giving back to the communities it serves through its Food First ™ hunger initiative, Reduce Your Use Grants™ and Classroom Energy Innovation Grants™. Learn more at www.FirstChoicePower.com. Keep up to date on the latest energy news and join the conversation by following us on Twitter @firstchoicepwr, Facebook facebook.com/FirstChoicePower or The Current blog, www.FirstChoicePower.com/blog.
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First Choice Power Media Contact
Catherine K. Carlton (469) 484-8686
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Resource Links
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http://www.firstchoicepower.com/blog/introducing-the-first-choice-power-leftover-canned-food-drive-enter-to-win-an-energy-star-refrigerator-2010-11/