CMT ONE COUNTRY SUPPORTS SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE AFTER THE RECENT FLOOD DISASTER AT THE “2010 CMT MUSIC AWARDS”
06/07/10
CMT Will Make A $40,000 Donation to Second Harvest That Will Feed Children During the 2010-2011 School Year through its BackPack program
Superstar Trisha Yearwood Will Serve As CMT ONE COUNTRY Spokesperson for the Initiative
NASHVILLE – June 7, 2010 – Furthering CMT’s commitment to the Nashville community after the recent flooding, the network will use its biggest show of the year, the 2010 CMT MUSIC AWARDS, as a platform for helping those affected in Tennessee. CMT will be making a $40,000 donation to the local affiliate of CMT ONE COUNTRY non-profit partner, Feeding America, to assist children who suffer hunger insecurity. The donation will provide 160,000 meals for over 400 school-aged children during the entire 2010-2011 school year through the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee’s BackPack Program, which will in turn help children whose families’ have been affected by the recent flood.
This donation will be in lieu of celebrity gift bags, a long-time tradition of award shows. Superstar Trisha Yearwood, who is a presenter at the ninth-annual awards show, will serve as a spokesperson for this initiative on the 2010 CMT MUSIC AWARDS red carpet as well as at an event marking this donation on Thursday, June 10.
“I am proud of CMT for coming up with a wonderful way to contribute to the Nashville community of flood victims,“ said Yearwood. “Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee does so much to help our community on a daily basis. It's a great partnership and I'm honored to be a part of it.”
“Nashville is home to CMT and through CMT ONE COUNTRY, we are fortunate to be able to honor the artists who treasure this community with this donation to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Middle Tennessee,” says Lucia Folk, senior director of public affairs, CMT. “Recovering from the recent floods is something that has hit close to home for the country music industry and we hope that our contribution can help the ongoing rebuilding efforts.”
“We have distributed more than 450,000 meals since the flooding recovery began in Middle Tennessee,” said Jaynee Day, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. “Because of this increased demand, continued support like that of CMT ONE COUNTRY’s is critical to fulfill our mission. This donation will help feed at risk children through our BackPack program as we continue to address childhood hunger in our community.”
CMT ONE COUNTRY will present this donation, along with backpacks signed by celebrities from the CMT AWARDS for auction, to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Middle Tennessee at an event on Thursday, June 10 attended by presenters Trisha Yearwood and Paula Deen. Since 2008, CMT ONE COUNTRY has donated over $170,000 to charities in honor of the CMT MUSIC AWARDS.
The mission of the BackPack program is to meet the needs of chronically hungry children by providing them with nutritious and easy-to-prepare food to take home on weekends and school vacations when other resources are not available. Second Harvest BackPack programs are located at schools and after school programs that have a high incidence of children in need. Each BackPack site distributes a pack of food to each participating child on Fridays. Each BackPack includes small pop top entrees, such as beans and franks and chili, cereal, applesauce, a fruit cup, 100% fruit juice, shelf stable chocolate milk, and snacks, such as peanut butter crackers.
Hosted by Kid Rock, the 2010 CMT MUSIC AWARDS features performances from country music’s biggest stars, including Jamey Johnson, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban with John Mayer and Zac Brown Band. Presenters will include celebrity cook Paula Deen, ‘American Idol’s’ Kara Dioguardi, the NFL’s Terrell Owens, actress Hayden Panettiere, NASCAR legend Richard Petty and ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ Kenan Thompson. In addition, country superstars Trisha Yearwood and Zac Brown Band are scheduled to present.
Fans can vote online at vote.CMT.com through June 8 to determine the winners. The final nominees for VIDEO OF THE YEAR will be announced at the beginning of the live show and fans can then vote at CMT.com and via text message throughout the live broadcast (ET/CT only) to determine the night’s big winner.
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Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee’s mission is to feed hungry people and work to solve hunger issues in the community. Second Harvest was founded in 1978 by a group of citizens who were concerned about their hungry neighbors. The Food Bank was designed to collect food that would otherwise be wasted, inspect and sort that food, and distribute it to not-for-profit agencies serving hungry people. Today, Second Harvest relies on a network of growers, manufacturers, wholesalers, grocery stores, and individuals to donate food that they distribute to the community through approximately 400 nonprofit agencies in 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Second Harvest partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, childcare facilities, senior centers, group homes, and youth enrichment programs. For more information, please visit www.secondharvestmidtn.org
CMT ONE COUNTRY, CMT's pro-social initiative, was launched in the fall of 2005 to promote civic participation and inspire CMT viewers to take action and bring about important change in their communities. CMT ONE COUNTRY partners include Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest), Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity, Hands On Network and the USO (United Service Organizations) and Children’s Miracle Network. Led by Advisory Board members President Jimmy Carter, Maya Angelou and General Colin Powell, whose combined service to America is legendary, CMTONECOUNTRY.com aims to offer tools to help anyone start making a difference immediately. For more information visit CMTONECOUNTRY.com.
CMT, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 90 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.
*EDITORS: The 2010 CMT MUSIC AWARDS will premiere LIVE on Wednesday, June 9 at 8:00 PM, Eastern and 7:00 PM, Central; and at 9:00 PM, Mountain and 8:00 PM, Pacific (tape delayed).
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PRESS CONTACT:
Natasha Powell 615.335.8412 natasha.powell@cmt.com
