Purolator, CFL Reach Goal For Food Donations


TORONTO - Purolator, the official courier of the Canadian Football League, and the CFL announced today that the Purolator Tackle Hunger program has reached a historic milestone: more than two million pounds of food collected for food banks across Canada since the program's inception in 2003.

Now approaching the end of its sixth season, the Purolator Tackle Hunger program visits each CFL community throughout the year, offering fans the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Grey Cup trophy in exchange for a non-perishable food item or cash donation. In addition to the food drives, every time a quarterback gets sacked during the regular season, Purolator donates the player's weight in food to the local food bank where the game is being played. Throughout the year, Purolator employees and customers across Canada also participate in the program to help support their local food bank.

''This new milestone truly reflects the difference teamwork makes when it comes to tackling hunger in the community,'' said Brian Meagher, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service at Purolator. ''We'd like to thank the CFL teams, our employees and customers, and football fans across Canada for their dedication and contribution to this program. We're already looking forward to another great year.''

The Purolator Tackle Hunger program's food collection figures have steadily increased every year since the inception of the program in 2003. This year's milestone of 2,000,000 pounds of food was reached in large part thanks to record-breaking contributions from football fans in Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton, Vancouver, Regina, Montreal, and most recently, Toronto in 2008.

''This is a great accomplishment, one that CFL fans should be very proud of,'' said Mark Cohon, CFL Commissioner. ''It's always great to see our fans, teams and partners come together to make a positive difference in our communities.''

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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:

What a great record for donations CFL fans across Canada have made to the Canadian Food Bank.