GREENWICH,CT,. - June 19, 2008 - Nestle Waters North America has donated 244,344 half-liter and one-liter bottles of Nestle(R) Pure Life(R) and Ice Mountain(R) Natural Spring Water during the past week to citizens and disaster relief workers in flood-stricken areas of Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. AmeriCares and the American Red Cross, along with local, on-the-ground agencies, are distributing the donations throughout the region.

Severe rain and record floods have wreaked havoc on the Midwest in recent weeks. The floods are said to be the worst the region has experienced in nearly 15 years. Thousands of residents have been displaced, and hundreds of homes and businesses have been damaged.

"The heavy rains and flooding have been devastating to the people of the Midwest," said John Connell, director of emergency response for AmeriCares. "At times like this, clean drinking water is essential. We're fortunate to have a partnership with Nestle Waters, an organization with the resources and ability to respond with bottled water immediately when disasters strike."

"Donations like this make a difference in the lives of the individuals and families affected by disaster. The immediate needs during an emergency or natural disaster include clean water and food. The importance of water cannot be emphasized enough, particularly during the warmer summer months," said Lauri Rhinehart, vice president of development operations for the American Red Cross. "We can always count on the support of Nestle Waters to help us provide essential aid to communities affected by disasters."

"We are saddened by the losses to our employees and thousands of their neighbors as a result of the recent Midwest flooding. But AmeriCares and the American Red Cross have done an outstanding job of providing disaster relief to those in need," said Alex McIntosh, director of corporate citizenship, Nestle Waters North America.

This donation follows Nestle Waters North America's recent donation of more than 35,000 half-liters of Nestle Pure Life bottled water to Iowa citizens affected by the level five tornado in late May. These bottles of water were distributed throughout the affected area by the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, a member of America's Second Harvest, as well as the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. In the past, Nestle Waters has provided millions of bottles of water to citizens and relief workers affected by natural disasters, including the California wildfires and Hurricane Katrina.

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., Nestle Waters North America's 9,000 employees provide bottled water products to consumers across the country, including Nestle (R) Pure Life(R) and Ice Mountain(R) Natural Spring Water in the Midwest.

About AmeriCares
AmeriCares is a private, nonprofit international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $7.5 billion in humanitarian aid to 137 countries. For more information, log onto www.americares.org.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization "“ not a government agency "“ and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.

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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