Top Chefs Across the Nation Sear, Sauté and Pureé for Thousands to End Childhood Hunger in America

Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation®, Presented by American Express®, celebrates 19th year

Washington (April 11, 2007) — With flavorful food and a passion for helping hungry children, top chefs and restaurants around the country will gather for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, presented by American Express. For the 19th year, these volunteers will share their strengths by creating sumptuous tastings for events in more than 60 cities throughout the US and Canada to help raise funds for Share Our Strength, the nation’s leading organization working to end childhood hunger in America.

Every spring, thousands of the best chefs and restaurants donate their time, talent and cuisine to create memorable epicurean events throughout the United States and Canada for what has become the nation’s largest and finest culinary benefit. Since 1988 Taste of the Nation events have helped raise over $70 million to fight hunger. Each event takes on the unique personality, culture and cuisine of its host city, with formats ranging from food and wine tastings to seated dinners and outdoor barbeques. This year’s events run from March 29 through August.

The generous support of presenting sponsor American Express, national sponsors SYSCO Corporation and Food Network, product level sponsors Brown-Forman Corporation, S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water and WineStyles and local sponsors make it possible to grant 100 percent of ticket sale proceeds to the fight to end childhood hunger in the communities where the funds are raised and across the country.

Funds raised through Taste of the Nation events help ensure that the more than 12 million American children facing hunger have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive. These funds specifically support the most effective community-based programs that both feed hungry children and partner with advocates pursuing long-term solutions to the challenge of hunger.

“An end to childhood hunger in our country is within reach” said Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. “With help from the chefs and volunteers who donate their time and talents to make these events possible, the corporate sponsors they enlist and the guests they serve, Taste of the Nation offers people a way to help reach this goal in their own backyard. Together we are creating greater resources for the good of our communities and our nation.”

Share Our Strength believes the way to end childhood hunger is to surround every child with nutritious food in the places they live, learn, play and pray. To do so, they work with local organizations to help families help themselves in three important areas: increasing access to the public and private programs that can provide food to those who need it, strengthening the community infrastructure for getting healthy food to children and improving nutrition education.

Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation tickets can be purchased and a complete list of events can be seen at www.tasteofthenation.org or by calling 1-877-26TASTE.