Elementary School Teacher's Wish To Help Alleviate Hunger This Holiday Season Comes True

Feeding America to Receive $500,000 Donation

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Dec 19, 2014, 10:54 ET

KINGSTREE, S.C., Dec. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- What started as a simple wish on Facebook is going to help feed millions of families across the United States. After hearing about Capital One's holiday #WishForOthers campaign, Maggie Hillman shared her wish on Facebook that fewer families would have to worry about finding food this holiday season. Inspired by Maggie's post, Capital One is donating five million meals to Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization.

Feeding America Logo.

"I have many students who come to school hungry every day. Trying to focus on a math problem or learning how to read is much more difficult to accomplish with a growling stomach," said Hillman, a beloved and passionate fourth grade teacher in Kingstree, S.C. "Seeing this firsthand, when I heard about #WishForOthers, I was inspired to ask that fewer students and their families across the U.S. struggle to put food on the table."

To announce the donation, Capital One teamed up with the Rachael Ray Show, through their #9MillionMeals initiative, and surprised Maggie with the news of her wish being granted. Knowing her wish was inspired by a need in her community, Feeding America will direct a portion of the donation to the Lowcountry Food Bank to support its childhood hunger programs, including Kids Cafe, BackPack Buddies, Summer Feeding and School Pantry Program.

"In the United States, nearly 16 million children face hunger, which can have serious implications on their growth and development," said Leah Ray, Senior Vice President of Development for Feeding America. "Programs like our BackPack Program and school pantries feed millions of children each year, and with support from donors like Capital One, we can provide even more food to more children in need. We are so thankful to Maggie for her wish, which will impact countless little ones and their families this holiday season and all year long."

ABOUT FEEDING AMERICA

Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

ABOUT CAPITAL ONE

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $204.3 billion in deposits and $300.2 billion in total assets as of September 30, 2014. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 900 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.