GREENWICH, CT. - September 15, 2008 - Nestle Waters North America has donated more than 350,000 half-liter bottles of Ozarka(R) Brand Natural Spring Water to citizens and disaster relief workers affected by Hurricane Ike. The bottled water will also aid on-going relief efforts in areas recovering from Hurricane Gustav. AmeriCares is distributing the donations to affected areas in Texas and Louisiana. Evacuees and disaster relief volunteers will receive the bottled water. Polymer Solutions International, a Nestle Waters business partner, has also contributed resources to support this donation.

Hurricane Ike, a Category 3 storm nearly the size of Texas, battered southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana on Saturday, leaving floods and causing fires in its wake. Nearly 2.6 million people are still without power. Some communities have been advised to boil their water.

Several communities in Louisiana are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Gustav, and hundreds of homes and businesses do not have electricity. After Hurricane Gustav made landfall along the Gulf Coast in early September, Nestle Waters North America provided more than 300,000 bottles of water to communities in the area. This week's bottled water donation supplements that contribution for a total donation of more than half a million bottles over the past two weeks.

"Bottled water quickly disappears from store shelves as soon as people hear the tap water may be unsafe to drink, so oftentimes the only way people can get bottled water during an emergency is from aid organizations like ours," said AmeriCares emergency response manager Jonathan Hodgdon. "Thanks to our partnership with Nestle Waters, Texas and Louisiana residents will have clean water for drinking and cooking in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav."

"This has been a very tough hurricane season for the residents and our employee families in the Gulf Coast. We are working around the clock to supply clean, portable water to communities in need, and are tremendously appreciative of the leadership shown by our non-profit partner AmeriCares, and by our business partner Polymer Solutions International," said Alex McIntosh, director of corporate citizenship for Nestle Waters North America.

Nestle Waters is committed to supplying clean water to citizens in need. The company has provided millions of bottles of water to residents and relief workers affected by natural disasters, including Hurricanes Dolly and Katrina, the tornadoes and subsequent floods that struck the Midwest earlier this year, and last year's California wildfires.

About Nestle Waters North America

Nestle Waters North America Inc. is the number one bottled water company in the U.S. Its family of 15 well-known brands includes Poland Spring(R) Brand Natural Spring Water, the leading spring water brand in America. Based in Greenwich, Conn., Nestlé Waters North America's 9,000 employees provide bottled water products to consumers across the country, including Ozarka(R) Natural Spring Water and Nestlé(R) Pure Life(R).

Nestle Waters North America

Nestle Waters North America

The availability of healthful beverages is more important than ever, and Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) provides people with an unrivaled portfolio of bottled waters. The company's bottled water brands in the U.S. include Arrowhead®, Poland Spring®, Deer Park®, Nestlé® Pure Life® and international brands Perrier® and S.Pellegrino®. In 2011, the company added a line of ready-to-drink teas which now includes Nestea®, Sweet Leaf® and Tradewinds®. These well-known brands have led Nestlé Waters North America to be third largest non-alcoholic beverage company by volume in the U.S. Based in Stamford, Connecticut with 7,500 employees, NWNA is reducing its environmental footprint across its business and working with others to improve U.S. recycling rates. The company is also committed to creating shared value and being a good neighbor in the 140 communities where it has operations. To learn more, visit www.nestle-watersna.com/en.

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