Dallas Fans Invited to Throw a Pass to Williams at 'Giving for Receiving' Charity Event
Dallas, Oct. 19 // PRNewswire // -- For the third consecutive year, star wide receiver Roy Williams is teaming up with Pizza Hut to help take a bite out of world hunger. The football great will be at the Pizza Hut on 9550 Dallas Parkway in Frisco from 4 to 6 p.m. today to catch passes thrown by fans in exchange for donations to the World Food Program.
"Too many people in the world go to bed hungry," said Roy Williams. "We can all be team players to help end world hunger, and I'm inviting the great fans of Dallas to join my team to make a difference."
At the "Giving for Receiving" event, Williams will attempt to break the "single season receiving record" in one day with the help of Dallas residents. For a $5 donation, kids ages 12 and younger are invited to throw a pass to Williams and take home a signed mini football. For a $40 donation, adults will be able to show off their best "Hail Mary" pass and receive an autographed regulation sized football. (Only merchandise purchased for donation at event is eligible for Roy Williams' autograph.) Every dollar raised at the event will feed four children in critical need.
"We are thrilled that Roy Williams is on board for the third year to lead the charge for a very worthy cause," said Scott Bergren, Pizza Hut President and Chief Concept Officer. "Pizza Hut's goal this year is to spread the word about what can be done to help feed the hungry and motivate people to take action to help the fight world hunger. The generous support of our customers and guys like Roy help us deliver meals to those in most need through the World Food Program."
During last year's program, Williams challenged three other professional football players to see who could raise the most money for hunger relief at in-restaurant fundraisers. The friendly competition raised more than $15,000 for the World Hunger Relief campaign.
In 2007, Williams raised $10,000 for the World Hunger Relief campaign after delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut in Detroit. The wide receiver publicly commented that he didn't tip pizza delivery drivers as he was unsure of the protocol. Pizza Hut challenged him to walk in the shoes of a driver and Williams graciously obliged raising money for charity in the process.
World Hunger Relief supports the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies. More than 36,000 company and franchised restaurants located in more than 110 countries will be participating, including Pizza Hut and other Yum! Brands, KFC, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's, and A&W All-American Food.
Funds raised for WFP go directly to the areas of greatest need, feeding poor school children in the developing world and helping villages become self-sustainable. Yum! Brands' employees and franchisees will be volunteering their time at hunger relief agencies, food banks, soup kitchens and launching fundraisers.
During the 2009 World Hunger Relief campaign, Yum! Brands plan to work towards a pledge made at the Clinton Global Initiative last year. At the Clinton Global Initiative, Yum! Brands pledged to do the following in the coming years: raise and donate at least $80 million to help WFP and others provide 200 million meals for hungry school children in developing countries; donate 20 million hours of hunger relief volunteer service in the communities in which it operates; donate $200 million worth of its prepared food to hunger agencies in the United States; and use the company's marketing clout to generate awareness of the hunger problem while convincing others to become part of the solution.
Yum! Brands has been committed to fighting hunger for more than a decade by donating more than $46 million of prepared food annually to the underprivileged in the United States. Since the company went public in 1997, it has donated more than $550 million of its food to hunger relief agencies in the U.S.
Pizza Hut, America's Favorite Pizza delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant. The only pizza company to be named a top ten franchise in 2009 by Entrepreneur Magazine, Pizza Hut began 50 years ago in Wichita, Kansas and today operates more than 10,000 restaurants in 100 countries. Pizza Hut, Inc. is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM).
SOURCE Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in the world.