Cargill Adds to Japan Relief Efforts With $250,000 Donation to Second Harvest Japan

MINNEAPOLIS, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cargill today announced that it has made a donation of $250,000 to Second Harvest Japan, a Tokyo-based food bank that is delivering truckloads of food and other needed items to the Tohoku region to provide nourishment to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. Cargill's donation will be used to help the organization procure and deliver food and other supplies to those in need at evacuation centers and welfare agencies. In addition to the grant to Second Harvest Japan, Cargill is matching employee contributions to the Red Cross. Cargill business units also have contributed approximately $125,000 to the Japanese Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations responding in Japan.  

"Our hearts go out to the people of Japan as they face the shocking aftermath of this disaster," said Mark Murphy, assistant vice president, Cargill Corporate Affairs. "There is an urgent need to deliver food and basic supplies to the people in Japan who have been most affected by this disaster. Ensuring access to safe, nutritious food has long been a focus of Cargill's community outreach efforts. We are pleased to be able to support a local organization such as Second Harvest Japan, which has been providing food to those in need for more than ten years."

Second Harvest Japan is currently sending two large trucks every two days to Sendai with food and supplies. Second Harvest Japan is a member of the Global Foodbanking Network, an existing Cargill partner that supports food bank development around the world.  Second Harvest Japan, the nation's first food bank, collects food that would otherwise go to waste from grocery stores and food manufacturers and makes it available to soup kitchens, orphanages and other organizations. For more information, or to donate to Second Harvest Japan, visit www.2hj.org.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business.

About Cargill in Japan

Cargill opened its first sales office engaged in importing grain commodity products into Japan in 1956 and has since grown to include a network of four offices and one operating facility. Today, the company employs more than 350 employees in Tokyo, Okayama, Kobe, Fukuoka, Chiba and Kashima. Cargill serves a broad array of customers, including food and beverage manufacturers, food service companies, supermarkets, wholesalers and industrial users of energy commodities.

About Cargill Community Giving

Cargill gives back to communities by contributing 2 percent of its global consolidated pre-tax earnings (based on a three-year trailing average). Cargill donated $57.5 million in 54 countries during its 2010 fiscal year. We provide support to organizations, projects and programs that fall in three focus areas: nutrition and health; education; and environmental stewardship.

SOURCE Cargill

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