- More than 150 people to help pack food boxes at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
- Activities part of AARP Foundation’s national “Drive to End Hunger” program and UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” initiative
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Los Angeles Kings alumni Luc Robitaille and Jim Fox are joining more than 150 UnitedHealthcare employees today to pack food boxes at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in Vernon and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County in Irvine.
The athletes and employees are working together to fight “senior hunger” and help the food banks provide 100,000 meals to hungry seniors throughout the southland. These activities are part of UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” employee-volunteer initiative and AARP Foundation’s broader “Drive to End Hunger” program.
In addition to the volunteer events, eight UnitedHealthcare offices in Los Angeles and Orange counties will host food drives Oct. 31-Nov. 4. The goal is to collect 120,000 pounds of food.
“With support from the community and partners like UnitedHealthcare, this is a tremendous boost in helping to alleviate hunger in Orange County,” said Joe Schoeningh, director, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. “Together we can elevate our effort to feed people in need, particularly our vulnerable seniors.”
About 9 million older adults nationwide face the threat of hunger and are likely to go hungry without public assistance. Nearly one in five Californians reported not having enough money to buy food in the last year. California ranks 18th among all states for risk of senior hunger, with roughly 5 percent of California’s seniors at risk, according to AARP.
“The downturn in the economy has had a significant impact on seniors in our community. Many seniors are forced to make the difficult decision between buying food and paying rent,” said Michael Flood, president and CEO, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. “Support from UnitedHealthcare and other community partners directly affects the quality of life for our seniors and helps us reach more seniors who desperately need help.”
“We appreciate Luc Robitaille and Jim Fox joining us today to make a difference in the lives of Southern California seniors and to ensure they have access to fresh, nutritious food,” said Tom Paul, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. “The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County provide a vital service to the people of Los Angeles and Orange counties.”
In July, UnitedHealthcare employees have participated in senior hunger prevention events in Salem, Va. Other volunteer events are scheduled for Minneapolis, Tampa, San Antonio and San Francisco.
For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find local opportunities to get involved, visit www.DoGoodLiveWell.org. Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter or “like” Do Good. Live Well. on Facebook.
About the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is a non-profit, charitable organization established in 1973 and is one of the largest food banks in the United States. Through a network of 640 charitable agencies providing service from 1,000 program sites, the Food Bank distributed more than 62 million pounds of food in 2010 throughout Los Angeles County. The Food Bank is a partner with Feeding America. For more information, visit http://www.lafoodbank.org.
About Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County – a member of Feeding America – is the largest private hunger relief organization in the county, partnering with more than 470 charitable organizations to feed an average of 240,000 people each month. Since 1983, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County has distributed more than 285 million pounds of safe and nutritious surplus food. For every dollar that is donated, 94.6 cents goes directly to hunger-relief programs. To learn more, please visit FeedOC.org.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
CONTACT:
UnitedHealthcare
Courtney Johnson, 612-702-7703
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America California Minnesota
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Seniors Health Fitness & Nutrition Philanthropy Professional Services Insurance Consumer Hispanic Fund Raising Managed Care
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