The Lisa Ekus Group Celebrates 25 Years By Giving Back

On the surface, The Lisa Ekus Group, LLC (formerly Lisa Ekus Public Relations Company) is about food. Take a closer look, however, and you will see that the Hatfield, Massachusetts company hungers for much more than cookbooks, cookbook authors, chefs, restaurants, and product spokespeople. As it turns out, the core of their business - the real "meat and potatoes," one might say - is charity.

"Our office is attached to my house, so work is literally part of my life, 24/7," says company founder Lisa Ekus-Saffer, who is an ardent supporter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and a long-time activist for The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. "Agent work. PR. Media training. I love it all - we all do. But, at the end of the day, nothing feels better, or is more important, than giving back."

On Thursday, April 5th, The Lisa Ekus Group celebrated 25 years in business. And to commemorate the occasion, the company worked with their clients to identify 25 charitable organizations which they will recognize and support throughout the year.

"We asked our clients to share the organizations that are near and dear to their hearts and ended up with far more than 25 suggestions," explains Literary Associate Jane Falla. "Most clients offered a handful of suggestions, not just one, and took time to explain the reason behind their choices."

The list contains a number of food-related organizations, such as Share Our Strength, Chefs for Humanity, and the Southern Foodways Alliance. But, it also contains several non-food related organizations, like the World Wildlife Fund, Aid for Aids, and the Jazz Foundation of America. (See complete list on their website, www.LisaEkus.com)

Celebrated cookbook author Kate Heyhoe, who supports Noah's Wish - an animal welfare organization that strives to keep animals safe during disasters - has this to add about working with The Lisa Ekus Group: "Lisa is a good agent. But, more important to me, she's a good person. I like knowing that every time she sells my work to a publisher some of the earnings from both her end and mine go to doing good for others. When that happens, every book is automatically a success."

The company will maintain the list on their website for the entire year and is encouraging its clients and friends to consider making a donation to whichever organization inspires and feeds their desire to give back.

"Looking back at the past 25 years, I am extremely proud of what we've accomplished and how far we've come," says Ekus-Saffer. "And, considering that the compilation of this list is one of our first tasks of the New Year, I have to say that I like where we're going!"

For more information about these 25 charities, to schedule an interview with Lisa Ekus-Saffer, or to find out more about The Lisa Ekus Group, LLC
contact Trina Kaye, 310-915-0970, or TrinaKaye@tkopr.com