KFC helps launch 'World Hunger Relief Week' 2008

Following the success of last year's campaign, KFC will again be calling upon its employees and customers throughout Britain to raise money for the countries hardest hit by the global food crisis. The recent surge in food prices has drastically reduced people's ability to purchase food in the developing world. Families are now spending an average 80 percent of their incomes on food and, as a consequence, skip meals and cut back on essentials such as healthcare and education. Acutely at risk are heavily urbanised nations such as Egypt, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. The CSIS (Centre for Strategic and International Studies) forecasts that many developing countries will struggle to access affordable and adequate food supplies. World Hunger Relief Week, which takes place from 13-19 October, aims to alleviate this problem through raising funds and increasing awareness of hunger and the global food crisis. KFC, along with its parent company Yum!, will rally more than 20,000 KFC employees from 720 UK stores, along with 1.3 million Yum! employees from 36,000 stores worldwide to generate funds that will make a real difference on a mass scale. The partnership, which began in 2007, raised an outstanding $16 million in its first year. World Hunger Relief Week 2008 aims to beat that target through a range of activities in store, including sponsored silences and KFC car washes. Customers will be able to donate in store or online via www.fromhungertohope.com. Martin Shuker, CEO of KFC UK, said: "Last year's campaign was a huge success. In the UK, we raised £360,000 which helped WFP provide food for more than 86 million people in 80 countries worldwide, including school feeding projects throughout Ethiopia. With more than 25,000 people dying from hunger every day, it is now more important than ever to do all we can to raise funds to help tackle global hunger. Our employees are all behind the cause, and we hope our customers will be too." Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, said: "Yum! has raised the bar for what companies can do to tackle hunger. Last year's campaign allowed us the flexibility to direct the funds raised to our most pressing needs, including shoring up our school feeding programme in Ethiopia. The impact was great because it came at a time when the high food price crisis was just beginning to affect the hungry people we serve." The funds will go directly to feeding people in WFP's areas of greatest need. Without the £360,000 raised by KFC UK last year, WFP's school food project in Ethiopia would have been shut down.