H-E-B AND GLOBAL FOODBANKING LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE TO HOST LEADERS FROM 14 COUNTRIES

H-E-B to Host Intensive, Five-Day Training Regimen in Food Bank Development and Food Sourcing

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Mar. 3, 2008 – San Antonio will be ground zero in the larger battle to alleviate hunger for 850 million people across the globe. Taking the lead in this battle is H-E-B, in collaboration with the Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), who is assembling food bank and business leaders from Latin America, Canada, U.S., the European Federation, the Middle East and Asia to share its best practices on reallocating food and grocery products to deliver food assistance to the hungry. A press conference to welcome the visiting dignitaries to the Alamo City was held today at H-E-B’s corporate headquarters.

Over a four-day period, March 3 – March 7, the dignitaries will engage in a series of discussions focused on the following topics: The Food Bank as a Community Asset, Organizational Structural Issues: Design for Efficiency, How Food Banks Work, Traditional and Non-Traditional Sources of Food, Identifying Needs and Finding Donors, and Food Sourcing Infrastructure.

“We are proud to host this international conference and share the programs, processes and systems we have created to serve the food insecure in Texas. Our goal is to maintain a powerful impact on hunger and malnutrition across the world,” said Danny Flores, Public Affairs Manager for H-E-B.

This year’s conference is sponsored by H-E-B, the Kellogg Company, Procter & Gamble and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Food banks and food bank networks in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and Argentina will represent the Latin American delegation. Nine guests from South Africa, where GFN is developing a network of food banks in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, will be among the attendees.

“We are humbled that our associates from South Africa, Israel, Turkey, Jordan and Japan will travel to Texas to learn innovative ways to better serve their hungry neighbors,” said Bob Forney, GFN President and CEO. “This rare opportunity to gain exposure from mature food banking systems by sharing the best practices of major food and grocery companies bodes well for the successful development of new food banks.”

The San Antonio Food Bank, recognized as the Food Bank of the Year by America’s Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network, will showcase their state-of-the-art facility and outreach programs. GFN has donated a VegiTunnel, a self-contained vegetable garden that uses little water and can feed 50 people for a year living in rural areas, to the food bank. The tunnel was invented by Nico van Rensburg, a leader of the Amanzimtoti Community Upliftment Project (AMCUP) based in South Africa. The tunnels are designed to help people become self-sufficient by providing a low-cost, efficient food production system. The tunnels are made of plastic pipe and 40 percent density shade cloth. Each comes packed with fertilizers and either spinach or tomato plants. One tunnel alone is big enough to grow a thousand spinach plants. Tunnels such as these are helping approximately 9,000 people world-wide become self-sufficient.

“The Global Food Banking Network brings the whole world to the dinner table,” said Eric Cooper, Executive Director of the San Antonio Food Bank. “It is at the table where exchanges occur that can benefit all of humanity.  We feel privileged and humbled to have a seat.”

About H-E-B
For more than 100 Years, H-E-B has been an innovative retailer. Known for its fresh food, quality products, convenient services, and a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, H-E-B strives to provide the best customer experience at every day low prices. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B employs more than 65,000 Partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150 communities throughout Texas and Mexico. For more information, visit www.heb.com.

About GFN
The mission of The Global FoodBanking Network is to alleviate hunger. We do this by supporting food banks and food bank networks where they exist, and by working to create them in communities where they are needed. To learn more, visit www.foodbanking.org