$40K Philip Morris Companies Inc. Grant to Help Seattle's Chicken Soup Brigade Expand Support Services For People Living with HIV/AIDS.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 1999--

In a brief ceremony at its warehouse and kitchen facilities on Seneca Street, the Chicken Soup Brigade (CSB) today received a $40,000 grant from Philip Morris Companies Inc.

Karen Brosius, Director of Corporate Contributions and Public Affairs, presented the check to Don Anderson, CSB's Board President.

This is the second year in a row CSB has received a grant from Philip Morris and, according to Development Director Chris Malarkey, the organization will use the funds to expand emergency food services and help support its newly established South County Satellite Center in Renton.

CSB has provided practical support services for people living with HIV/AIDS for the past 12 years, including fresh meals, groceries, clothing and household items, home chore assistance, and transportation.

The local grant is part of Philip Morris' national "Positive Helpings" initiative in partnership with the National AIDS Fund and the AIDS Nutrition Services Alliance (ANSA) to help fight hunger and improve nutrition among people living with HIV/AIDS. Philip Morris became one of the first major corporations to join the fight against AIDS in 1986 and developed the Positive Helpings program in 1996. This year $600,000 will go to 38 organizations in 25 states.

In Seattle, Positive Helpings funds, matched with local private dollars, will benefit some 350 additional clients and provide an estimated 7,800 meals and 3,200 bags of groceries, according to Malarkey. "These funds help us meet two pressing needs in the King County area," he said, "nutrition for people with HIV/AIDS who live in the outlying areas, especially south of Seattle, and people with HIV/AIDS who are destitute, homeless or experiencing a life crisis."

"It's gratifying to know that this grant will go towards needs associated with the changing face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic," Brosius said, "access to nutritious food plays a critical part in helping those living with the disease to stay as healthy and independent as possible."

Don Anderson, CSB's Board President, agreed, pointing out that while care for people with HIV/AIDS in Seattle/King County is excellent, maintaining a high quality of care for all people affected -- especially those in outlying areas -- is a continuing challenge. "Philip Morris Companies' recognition of and response to these challenges makes them a terrific partner in fighting this epidemic," he said.

Support for the kinds of services CSB provides is a natural extension of Philip Morris' corporate mission, Brosius said. "Through Kraft Foods we are the largest Food Company in North America, so it's only fitting that we lead the national fight against hunger."

In fact, she added, the Philip Morris family of companies has been fighting hunger for more than four decades and is currently the largest corporate supporter of hunger relief programs in America. Since 1990, it has given more than 170 million dollars worth of food and financial assistance to organizations that serve people in need.

The Chicken Soup Brigade provides emergency food and ongoing nutritional services through its downtown facility at 10th Avenue & Seneca Street and through its South County Satellite Center in the United Way Good Neighbor Center in Renton. For more information on CSB's practical support services for people living with HIV/AIDS in King County, call 206/328-8979, or check the website at www.csbrigade.org.

Note to Editors: Karen Brosius, Philip Morris Director of Corporate Contributions and Public Affairs will be in Seattle through Tuesday Morning, Sept. 14th. For a personal interview opportunity, contact Franz W. Gregory, Subert-Gregory & Woodstrom; 206/232-3630, Ext. 13