Pleasantville, NY, Sept. 18, 2008 - The Reader's Digest Foundation announced today that it will donate $100,000 to Feeding America, formerly known as America's Second Harvest. As the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, Feeding America secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products each year. It annually helps more than 25 million Americans living on the brink of hunger, including more than 9 million children and more than 3 million seniors.

Inspiration for this grant, which is part of the Foundation's Make it Matter program, came from the story of Chip Paillex, a New Jersey mortgage banker with a green thumb and a big heart. Chip’s weekend gardening hobby grew into much more when he began giving his harvest to the local food bank. Before long, with donated land and the help of volunteers, Chip created a nonprofit community farm called Grow-a-Row that will deliver an estimated 250,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to food banks this year.

"What could be more basic, or more critical, than ending hunger in America?" asks Susan Fraysse Russ, executive director, Reader's Digest Foundation. "We're very pleased to help support the essential work performed by Feeding America, particularly during these difficult economic times when more and more people need assistance putting food on the table. We hope that others will be inspired by the work of Feeding America and the incredible story of Chip Paillex to do what they can to feed the hungry."

"We are very grateful that the Reader's Digest Foundation is helping raise awareness of the terrible pervasiveness of hunger right here in our own country," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. "We need to keep working to make sure that everyone in our nation understands that one in eight Americans live at risk of hunger, and that hunger is a solvable problem for our nation."

Reader's Digest magazine is featuring the story of Chip Paillex in its "Make it Matter" column in the October issue, which hits newsstands on September 23. Previous "Make it Matter" stories, including many that never appeared in the magazine, can be seen at http://www.readersdigest.com.

About The Reader's Digest Foundation:

The Reader's Digest Foundation, started in 1938, is dedicated to creating opportunities and promoting efforts that encourage individuals to make a positive difference in their communities, and to supporting programs designed to help young people learn, grow and enrich their lives. RDF makes grants to nonprofit organizations to support the good works of individuals in their communities and to nonprofit partners focused on youth development and education. The Foundation also partners with nonprofits to create workplace opportunities for Reader's Digest Association employees to volunteer their time and share their expertise.

About Feeding America:

Feeding America is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, Feeding America annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, Feeding America secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To learn more, please visit www.Feedingamerica.org.

Readers Digest Association, Inc./Reader's Digest Foundation, The

Readers Digest Association, Inc./Reader's Digest Foundation, The

The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. is a global publisher and direct marketer of books, magazines and home entertainment products that inform, entertain and inspire people of all ages and cultures around the world. The company publishes 90 magazines, including its flagship magazine - Reader’s Digest, the world’s biggest-selling magazine. It is published in 51 editions and 21 languages. The Reader’s Digest Foundation is dedicated to creating opportunities and promoting efforts that encourage individuals to make a positive difference in their communities, and to supporting programs designed to help young people learn, grow and enrich their lives.

More from Readers Digest Association, Inc./Reader's Digest Foundation, The