News Release

ConAgra Foods Opens Ice Skating Rink and Invites the Omaha Communirt to Help 'Shine the Light on Hunger'

Dec 12, 2009, 3:56 AM EST

Proceeds from ConAgra Foods Ice Skating Rink and community food drive to support Food Bank for the Heartland

OMAHA, Dec. 12, 2009—ConAgra Foods CEO Gary Rodkin, Mayor Jim Suttle, Susan Ogborn, President and CEO of Food Bank for the Heartland and Scott Bradley, President of Downtown Omaha, Inc. cut the ribbon on the ConAgra Foods Ice Skating Rink today, marking the third consecutive year the company has opened this popular venue in its ten years as presenting sponsor of the Holiday Lights Festival. The rink is one way ConAgra Foods is inviting community members to help “Shine the Light on Hunger” this holiday season. Proceeds from the 60-foot by 120-foot rink will benefit the Food Bank for the Heartland, which distributes food to pantries and meal providers throughout Nebraska and western Iowa.

“The ConAgra Foods Ice Rink is a unique, family-friendly holiday attraction that also helps create awareness about an issue we’re particularly passionate about – the fight to end hunger,” said Chris Kircher, vice president of Corporate Affairs and president of the ConAgra Foods Foundation. “The ConAgra Foods Foundation is matching all proceeds from the rink up to $100,000, so we hope community members will visit the rink and visit it often. We need the whole community to get engaged and ‘Shine the Light on Hunger’.”

Nearly one out of every four children – or 17 million kids – across the nation is hungry or at risk of hunger every year, meaning they are not sure if or when their next meal will come. In Nebraska and Iowa, this equates to more than 200,000 children. Very often these families are faced with the decision of paying to keep a roof over their heads or buying food, even within the Omaha-metro area, and specifically Douglas County.

Baker’s supermarkets across Omaha and Council Bluffs are serving as additional collection locations. Donations of non-perishable food items can be dropped off in marked “Shine the Light on Hunger” bins in all 12 locations through Dec. 31. Baker’s also will be promoting the campaign in store by offering pre-packaged bags of non-perishable food items and by selling punch cards to the ConAgra Foods Ice Skating Rink. All proceeds will go to Food Bank for the Heartland.

The ConAgra Foods Ice Skating Rink is located on the grassy area near the front entrance of the ConAgra Foods campus at 10th and Farnam Streets. A nominal admission fee of $5 per-skater will be charged and will include skate rental, as needed. People also may bring their own skates.

Swiss Miss® hot cocoa, Hebrew National® hot dogs, Orville Redenbacher’s® popcorn and other ConAgra Foods treats will be available for sale in heated refreshment tents. All proceeds from the rink, including refreshments will be donated to Food Bank for the Heartland.

The rink will be open to the public until Dec. 31, and is open from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and from 1 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. During these hours, the public can bring donations of non-perishable food items and household goods to leave in blue, marked collection barrels that will be located near the rink on the ConAgra Foods campus. In the event of inclement weather, dial 402-240-7465 for rink hours.

About Food Bank for the Heartland

Food Bank for the Heartland – also called the Omaha Food Bank – distributes between 5 and 7 million pounds of food each year, and serves more than 360 food pantries and meal providers in Douglas County and western Iowa.

About the ConAgra Foods Foundation

The ConAgra Foods Foundation’s Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform is dedicated to raising awareness of the more than 12 million children in America who are at risk of hunger and do not have enough food to live active, healthful lives, and to aggressively pursuing sustainable solutions in the fight against child hunger. ConAgra Foods Foundation invests in national and local partnerships with high-impact, not-for-profit organizations such as Share Our Strength and Feeding America that take an innovative approach to addressing needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more information, please visit the ConAgra Foods Foundation Web site at www.nourishkidstoday.org.

About ConAgra Foods

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America’s leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip and many ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandiser and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying potato, other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

Contact Information:
Shelby Stoolman
Shelby.Stoolman@conagrafoods.com
402-240-4691