Beaulieu Vineyard® Partners with AmpleHarvest.org to Continue the Fight Against Hunger in America

NAPA, Calif., Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kicking off World Hunger Month, Beaulieu Vineyard® (BV), the great American winery in the heart of Napa Valley, has partnered with AmpleHarvest.org, a non-profit that acts as the liaison between fresh home gardens and those who need it most.  Over the past two years, BV has shown commitment to fighting hunger in America by donating more than two million meals and counting.  Now entering its third year, the Give & Give Back program will continue to support hunger relief efforts and is urging consumers to meet the winery's donations through the new text to donate program established with AmpleHarvest.org. 

Always looking for new ways to support hunger relief efforts, BV has partnered with AmpleHarvest.org, whose national effort enables 40+ million Americans who grow food in home gardens to easily donate their excess harvest to one of 6,421 registered local food pantries spread across all 50 states through online connections at the AmpleHarvest.org hub.  By providing sustainable, scalable solutions, AmpleHarvest.org puts the power in the hands of the local communities and makes it possible to create major strides towards ending hunger in the U.S.

"At BV, we think AmpleHarvest.org has a great stance on helping to fight hunger by educating, encouraging and enabling gardeners to donate their excess harvest.  It is a sustainable program that can easily grow and we're happy to contribute," said Sandra Galvin, BV Brand Manager at Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines. "We hope to inspire others by matching their donations so we can all grow closer to winning the fight against hunger."

BV previously has been focused on honoring volunteers at food pantries through Give & Give Back. This year's shift is to provide those volunteers with nutritious, healthy items.  Food pantries, relying on donated and purchased foods, almost never have fresh produce and instead rely on canned or processed produce shipped from across the country at significant cost, both economic and environmental.  By working together, BV and AmpleHarvest.org will raise awareness of the need for unprocessed, whole foods within food pantries across the country.

"One out of six Americans, including a quarter of kids under six, does not have access to healthy fresh food at their food pantry," said Founder and Executive Director of AmpleHarvest.org, Gary Oppenheimer. "We need to solve this shortage and make sure these Americans are also receiving nutritious meals from their food sources. Partnering with a company who wants to accomplish the same goal – solving the fight against hunger in America – means we can provide even more relief at a faster rate."

Between now and December 31, 2013 consumers can show their support through a $1 donation by texting "Give" to 79008.  To inspire others to give, for every text received during this time frame, BV will match at $1 per purchase or text, up to $50,000. (Terms & Conditions at www.BVWines.com/terms-use . Privacy policy at www.BVWines.com/privacy .)

While enjoying a glass of BV, please remember to drink responsibly.

About Beaulieu Vineyard
Beaulieu Vineyard wines are produced by Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E) is part of Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O); the world's leading premium drinks business. DC&E brands also include: BV Coastal Estates, Sterling Vineyards, Sterling Vintner's Collection, Chalone Vineyard, Acacia Vineyard, Provenance Vineyards and Rosenblum Cellars. DC&E is also a leading importer of estate-bottled wines from Burgundy. For more information about BV, visit www.bvwines.com.

About Ample Harvest
AmpleHarvest.org, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization which diminishes malnutrition, hunger and food waste in America by educating, encouraging and empowering growers to easily find a nearby food pantry eager to receive the excess garden bounty.  For more information on the campaign, visit www.AmpleHarvest.org/press or call AMPLE-6-9880 (267-536-9880).

Follow AmpleHarvest.org at twitter.com/AmpleHarvest, at Facebook.com/AmpleHarvest.org and our blog AmpleHarvest.org/blog.php

About Diageo
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines. Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Beaulieu Vineyard