The George Shinn Foundation and Feed the Children Fight to End Hunger
NASHVILLE, Jan. 7, 2015 – On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Feed the Children and The George Shinn Foundation will partner with Fifty Forward to deliver one truckload of food and essentials to 400 Nashville-area families in need. Volunteers will begin distributing the food and essentials at 10:00 a.m. The distribution event will be held at Fifty Forward (174 Rains Ave. in Nashville).
Because hunger can’t be tackled alone, Feed the Children’s partner agency, Fifty Forward, has pre-identified families in need who will each receive a 25-pound food box and a 10-pound box of basic essentials. The distribution is one of many planned across the country to help feed America’s children.
Hunger affects people all over the United States. One in five children across the nation has parents who can’t afford to buy food, which means they also can’t afford to buy essentials or school supplies. In Nashville alone, nearly 20 percent of families live below the poverty line and are at risk of going to bed hungry.
“At Feed the Children, we’re focused on helping kids be kids,” said Kevin Hagan, Feed the Children president and CEO. “When kids are hungry, they are worrying about where their next meal will come from and aren’t given the opportunity to just be a kid and have fun. That’s why we are trying to defeat hunger—to give kids their childhood back.”
“George’s dad passed away when George was a little boy and he knows what it feels like to grow up in a family where even the basic necessities weren’t always there, no matter how hard his mom worked,” said Denise Shinn, The George Shinn Foundation president. “As a child he depended on free school lunches and a variety of compassionate programs and ministries. He is still so grateful for those that helped him and he loves to give back. That’s the heart of the George Shinn Foundation—helping people in need and building God’s Kingdom. When I think of where George came from—and the 400 families we are going to reach—it is straight from my heart when I say, we are so pleased to partner in this event to bless families in need.”
About the George Shinn Foundation
The George Shinn Foundation is dedicated to helping people in need and building God’s kingdom. George Shinn has built numerous successful companies, but is best known as the founding owner of the Charlotte Hornets/New Orleans Hornets, the NBA franchise he sold in 2010. George grew up in humble circumstances, but his mother instilled in him gifts of faith, optimism, and gratitude. Through his foundation, George has been giving back to his community for more than 30 years. The foundation is now led by Denise Shinn, who shares George’s passion to share the love of God in ways that meet physical, emotional, and ultimately, spiritual needs. Since George and Denise have settled in Franklin, Tennessee, they have begun to focus their efforts on needs found in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. They recently hosted a benefit for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s home that raised more than $200 thousand, and a free Christmas luncheon for more than 800 Nashville senior adults.
About Feed the Children
Feed the Children is one of the world’s leading anti-hunger organizations, dedicated to creating a world where no child goes to bed hungry. Since 1979, Feed the Children has grown into one of the largest United States-based charities, accredited by GuideStar Exchange and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and given a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. By banding together with partners, donors, and communities to defeat hunger, Feed the Children distributed over $344 million in food, essentials, educational supplies, and medicine to over 10 million individuals in the United States and 18 other countries in fiscal year 2013. Visit www.feedthechildren.org for more information.
For more information, please contact: Samantha Morgan at 405-815-4283 or Samantha.Morgan@feedthechildren.org
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