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SHARE OUR STRENGTH® PRESENTS 2009 LEADERSHIP AWARDS

National Organization Working to End Childhood Hunger Recognizes Community Leaders, Chefs and Corporate Sponsors for Contributions and Volunteerism

November 8, 2009

Washington, D.C. — At its 25th anniversary Leadership Awards Ceremony this evening, Share Our Strength® presented its 2009 Leadership Awards to a number of community volunteers, chefs, restaurants, restaurateurs, and corporate executives who have made a significant impact on the fight to end childhood hunger in the United States. In addition, during the awards ceremony, Food Network star Aaron McCargo, Jr. of Big Daddy's House received a special Share Our Strength Plate of Honor for the energy and time he devoted as the 2009 spokesperson for Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out®. "I am honored to be part of Share Our Strength. I've always believed if you do right, right comes back and Share Our Strength is the right thing to do," said McCargo, Jr.

The Leadership Awards Ceremony was emceed by Carrie Welch, Vice President of Public Relations at the Food Network, and Jenny Dirksen, Director of Community Investment of the Union Square Hospitality Group, during Share Our Strength's annual conference.

"We are humbled by the dedication and energy of our 2009 Leadership Award winners," said Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. "They have all gone above and beyond, devoting their time and talent, and play a critical role in Share Our Strength's goal to end childhood hunger in the U.S. by 2015."

Highlights of the awards ceremony include:

A 2009 Leadership Award for Chef/Restaurateur of the Year was presented to Mindy Segal of HotChocolate Restaurant and Dessert Lounge in Chicago. A James Beard Award nominee, Segal exhibited enormous dedication to Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation®, the country's premier culinary benefit held in more than 45 cities across the U.S. and Canada. This year, Segal took on the position of event chair in Chicago, led a new organizing committee of 35 members and brought together more than 800 people to be involved with the event. In accepting her award Segal stated, "I have spent the last twenty years of my life honing my craft. I am grateful to Share Our Strength for inspiring me to now focus on improving my skills as a community leader and working to help end childhood hunger in our country."

Share Our Strength's A Tasteful Pursuit®, a travelling dinner series featuring some of the nation's top chefs, raises funds to end childhood hunger. The first annual award for Community Leader - A Tasteful Pursuit was made to Daniel Boulud and Zach Bell of Café Boulud in Palm Beach for their extraordinary accomplishments in fundraising, event production and commitment to A Tasteful Pursuit since the program began in 2005. Boulud and Bell, along with the rest of their team at The Dinex Group, actively support Share Our Strength events in their area and across the country, and continue to recruit top caliber chefs to the Share Our Strength mission.

"I feel honored to be involved with an organization like Share Our Strength and to work with them to help end childhood hunger in America. Like so many chefs, I believe it's important for the culinary community to take part in the charge against hunger. It is our Executive Chef Zach Bell at Café Boulud in Palm Beach who has led our organization in supporting Share Our Strength, and we could not be more proud of his efforts," Boulud said.

Now in its second year, Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out was held in September, and thousands of restaurants - from coffee shops to fine dining establishments - participated in this nationwide event to raise funds to end childhood hunger. The 2009 Community Leader - Great American Dine Out Award was presented to Joe's Crab Shack for its wholesale support of this national effort; the award was accepted by company executives Ray Blanchette and Robin Ahern. Joe's played a leadership role, recruiting many other restaurants to participate, and became the highest donor for this program in 2009.

The Fundraising Innovation Award recognizes individuals or companies who pioneer new and original ways to raise funds for Share Our Strength. The 2009 Fundraising Innovation Award was presented to the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, and was accepted by Festival Director Lee Schrager of Southern Wine & Spirits. This event incorporated the Share Our Strength and Food Bank For New York City identities and hunger messaging into all aspects of the festival's marketing campaign, and raised more than $2 million for these charities through the past three years of events in Manhattan.

Rosemary King Johnston, Director of the Maryland Governor's Office for Children, was presented with the 2009 Advocate of the Year Award for the tireless support she has demonstrated on behalf of Share Our Strength and the devotion which she has shown to improving the lives of children during the past four decades. Johnston, whom Maryland Governor O'Malley named to lead the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland, has worked to ensure unprecedented participation and cooperation across agencies and advocates within Maryland. Maryland is one of the initial states with which Share Our Strength has established a state partnership, and Governor O'Malley has vowed to be the first governor to end childhood hunger in his state.

Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline® is a chef-led, cooking-based nutrition education program that teaches families how to prepare healthy, tasty meals on a limited budget. This year, the Community Leader - Operation Frontline Award was given to Ellen Damaschino for her work in building capacity for and awareness of the Operation Frontline program. An Operation Frontline chef-instructor with the Oregon Food Bank who was a 2008 inductee into Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline Hall of Fame, Damaschino has been a chef-volunteer for more than six years, has taught 18 Operation Frontline courses, and has performed more than 500 volunteer service hours for the Oregon Food Bank. Just recently, Damaschino extended her charitable activities by stepping up to be a new co-chair in Portland for Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation.

Share Our Strength's 2009 Humanitarian of the Year Award was presented to Mark Rodriguez, CEO of Hickory Farms. This is one of Share Our Strength's highest honors, and it recognizes Rodriguez's outstanding support for the organization and its efforts to end childhood hunger. Rodriguez has been a major proponent of Share Our Strength for more than ten years, and has served on the organization's board since 2001. Throughout these years, Rodriguez has continued to build support for the organization through his professional and personal connections, and has been responsible for raising more than $1.7 million through these efforts. Accepting his award, Rodriguez commented, "It is humbling to be recognized for working to end childhood hunger, an atrocious crisis in this country, and to receive this award from Share Our Strength, an organization which continues to inspire me to want to do more."

A complete list of Share Our Strength's 2009 Leadership Award winners include:

  • Amy Becker: Community Leader - Taste of the Nation
  • Ken Goodman: Community Leader - Taste of the Nation
  • Jeanette Bonham: Community Leader - Taste of the Nation
  • Martha May Fink: Community Leader - Great American Bake Sale
  • Ellen Damaschino: Community Leader - Operation Frontline
  • Daniel Boulud: Community Leader - A Tasteful Pursuit
  • Zach Bell: Community Leader - A Tasteful Pursuit
  • Joe's Crab Shack: Community Leader - Great American Dine Out
    (accepted by Ray Blancehtte and Robin Ahern)
  • Shar Melwani, Cookies by Shar: Local Corporate Partner
  • Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival: Fundraising Innovation
    (accepted by Lee Schrager)
  • Michael Cuesta: Rookie of the Year
  • Billy Grant: Chef/Restaurateur of the Year
  • Mindy Segal: Chef/Restaurateur of the Year
  • Rosemary King Johnston: Share Our Strength Advocate of the Year
  • Domino Foods: Award for Excellence in Corporate Leadership
    (accepted by Jan Bottcher, Kevin McElvaney and Nancy Barbee)
  • Mark Rodriguez, Hickory Farms: Humanitarian of the Year

About Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength® is the leading national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. By weaving together a net of community groups, activists and food programs, Share Our Strength catches children at risk of hunger and ensures they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. Working closely with the culinary industry, Share Our Strength creates engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation®, the nation's premier culinary benefit; Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale®, a national grassroots effort; Share Our Strength's A Tasteful Pursuit®, a touring dinner series; Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out ®, a week-long program involving thousands of restaurants nationwide; and Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline®, a cooking-based nutrition education program. Visit Strength.org and learn more about our goal of ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

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