Carver International Project Kicks Off ``Let's Fight Hunger Together'' Campaign in Contra Costa County with over 200 Donation Boxes in Local Businesses.

News Editors

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2003

The Carver International Project, a California-based public service organization, has launched its "Let's Fight Hunger Together" campaign by placing more than 200 donation boxes in businesses throughout Contra Costa County in the last three weeks.

"The California Food Policy Advocates reports that close to 14 percent (33,175) of children in Contra Costa County live in poverty," said Marge D'Wylde, director of cultural heritage and communications for The Carver International Project. "We must do something right here, right now, to make sure every child has enough to eat."

Carver Intl.'s "Let's Fight Hunger Together" donation boxes began appearing in Contra Costa County small businesses in February. There are now approximately 50 boxes in East County (Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch and Pittsburg) and another 150 in Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill and Martinez. Money collected from these boxes will be used to fight hunger in the community where donors do business. In the coming months, Carver Intl. plans to expand its hunger campaign to adjoining counties, including Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin, and eventually throughout California.

"In California in 2001, approximately 37% of the adults requesting food assistance were employed. These are the working poor who can't keep up with the high cost of living. For these families, fresh nutritious foods are often sacrificed for starches to fill their kid's stomachs," explained D'Wylde. "And what's going to happen this summer to the nearly three million California school children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price school meals? For many, if they don't eat at school, they may not eat at all," D'Wylde said.

About the Carver International Project

Driven by the belief that amazing things happen when people get the resources they need, the goal of the Carver International Project is to be an economic and intellectual asset stimulating philanthropy and contributing to lasting positive change. In February, Carver Intl. announced that it would donate most of the proceeds it receives from sponsorships of the Bollywood Movie and Fashion Awards 2003 to charitable causes, including the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of South Asian countries. The Bollywood Awards, to be held on May 2 and 3 in Atlantic City, are two of the largest South Asian events outside of India.

Incorporated in 2002, the Carver International Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Walnut Creek, California, with an annual budget of $22 million. The organization is chaired by Daniel Kemper, a successful businessman and philanthropist. Other board members include Ganesh Iyer, assistant professor of marketing for the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Satish Mehta, director of the Times of India Group Newspapers; Anil Kalra, head of the Verification and Valuation Branch at the United Nations Compensation Commission; and Charles Colombe, successful businessman and member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. For more information, visit www.carverworld.org or contact The Carver International Project, 1340 Treat Boulevard, Suite 120, Walnut Creek, CA 94597, phone [phone], fax: [phone].