Exhibitors At 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-motel Show Donate Nearly 52,000 Meals To Chicago's Hungry

(Chicago) Hundreds of companies that exhibited at the 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show� donated enough surplus food for nearly 52,000 meals through the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) last month. NRA Show 2010, which was held May 22-25 at Chicago's McCormick Place, and GCFD have partnered to facilitate food donations from the event for more than 20 years.


"Restaurants and their suppliers are the cornerstone of communities across the United States, and this commitment to community service is also reflected in the companies that exhibited at NRA Show 2010," said Ira Cohn, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2010 and President of ARAMARK Business and Industry Group. "Tens of thousands of individuals will benefit from their generosity. As the nation's largest industry trade show, we are honored to have the opportunity to give back to the local Chicago community that has hosted our event for more than 60 years."


"The support of the National Restaurant Association helps us provide food for thousands of men, women and children," said Kate Maehr, executive director of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. "Our statistics show that we now serve 678,000 people in Cook County every year. We can respond to heightened demand because of partners like the National Restaurant Association."


NRA Show 2010 exhibitors donated a total of 68,962 pounds of high quality, nutritious food products, which is the equivalent of 51,721 meals benefiting individuals in need in the Chicago area.


The donated food was distributed through a network of more than 600 qualified GCFD member agencies, which include pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day care centers and senior living facilities.


The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago's food bank, is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 678,000 adults and children in Cook County every year. Last year, the Food Depository distributed 58 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of 119,000 meals every day. The Food Depository's programs and services for children, older adults and the unemployed and underemployed address the root causes of hunger.


The annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. NRA Show 2011 will be held May 21-24, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event attracts attendees and visitors from across the United States and 120 countries, and showcases more products, services, innovative ideas and other growth opportunities than any other industry event. For more information, visit the Show Web site at www.restaurant.org/show.