ConAgra Foods Sets a Community-Wide Goal of Raising One Million Meals to Help Shine the Light on Hunger

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Omaha, NE — November 21, 2011 — ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) announced today a community-wide goal of raising one million meals for the hungry through this year’s Shine the Light on Hunger campaign.  This goal reflects the one million twinkling lights on display throughout Omaha as part of this year’s Holiday Lights Festival.    “This is the first year that we’ve set a specific goal for the Shine the Light on Hunger campaign,” said Chris Kircher, president, ConAgra Foods Foundation. “Each year, we’ve seen a growing level of support and participation in the campaign from the entire community.  We believe this year’s goal is not only achievable, it will go a long way in helping those in need.”      For the fifth consecutive year, ConAgra Foods will launch its “Shine the Light on Hunger campaign as a way for the Omaha community to help fight hunger throughout the Holiday Lights Festival through food and cash donations to Food Bank for the Heartland.  The campaign will begin at the Century Link Thanksgiving Lighting Ceremony when the Mayor flips the switch on one million lights in the Gene Leahy Mall.  Votive candles with LED lights will be distributed free of charge to 3000 members of the public in attendance so they, too, can participate in launching the Shine the Light on Hunger campaign by flipping a small switch on the bottom of each candle.    Throughout the Holiday Lights Festival, there will be numerous opportunities to participate in the Shine the Light on Hunger campaign.  ConAgra Foods will again open an Ice Rink on its campus for skaters to enjoy from December 9 through New Year’s Eve. For $5 which includes skate rental, skaters can enjoy the rink with all proceeds benefitting Food Bank for the Heartland.  The ConAgra Foods Foundation will match these Food Bank for the Heartland donations dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.  Marked collection bins will be located at business and organizations throughout the community for donations of non-perishable food items and household goods.  Finally, cash donations can be made online at www.shinethelightonhunger.org    Last year, the community helped raise more than $215,000 and collected 216,134 pounds of non-perishable food for Food Bank for the Heartland during the “Shine the Light on Hunger” campaign.   Food Bank for the Heartland, an Omaha-based nonprofit organization, will distribute more than 11 million pounds of food and household products to families in Nebraska and southwest Iowa this year.  Food Bank for the Heartland works with 375 agencies to benefit those in need.  Today, more than 92,000 children in the 93 counties served by Food Bank for the Heartland struggle, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011.  Douglas County has the most children at-risk for hunger (26,970) followed by Sarpy County (7,600) in Nebraska, Woodbury.   For more information about ways you can help “Shine the Light on Hunger, please visit www.shinethelightonhunger.org.   About ConAgra Foods ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack and many ot781-235-3060 her ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at http://www.conagrafoods.com.    CONAG19011