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NORTHFIELD, Ill., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kraft Foods Inc. and Jewel-Osco, a Supervalu company, announced today they will donate up to $50,000 in funding for Chicago-area hunger initiatives through its "Recipe for Hometown Hunger" program starting today. The effort builds on Kraft's long-standing tradition of supporting Chicago-area hunger initiatives.

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With family budgets being squeezed and donations to pantries dwindling during the summer months, this increased support for hungry families in the area comes at an important time. In fact, in the 12 months ending in June, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and its member pantries had 3.6 million individual visits -- up 20 percent from the prior period.

"Recipe for Hometown Hunger" will raise awareness for hunger and funding to help local families. And consumers can join in! Now through Sept. 17, for each select Kraft product purchased at Jewel-Osco, $0.25 worth of milk (up to $50,000) will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank. This effort builds on a partnership from earlier this year where Kraft and Jewel-Osco donated $50,000 toward the purchase of produce, meat and bakery items.

"Kraft is a leader in supporting hunger relief," said Jim Frusciante, Customer Vice President, Kraft Foods. "Now we're stepping up our efforts as we see more and more Chicago-area families in need of nutritious meals. The partnership with Jewel-Osco is instrumental in alleviating hunger for local families."

"Hunger relief is an important social issue for Jewel-Osco, and we're very proud to partner with Kraft on this important initiative," said Keith Nielsen, President, Jewel-Osco. "Working together, we can help the Greater Chicago Food Depository feed thousands of children and families."

"Kraft and Jewel-Osco are invaluable partners in Chicago's fight against hunger," said Kate Maehr, Executive Director, Greater Chicago Food Depository. "The need in our community is great -- but, thanks to partners like Kraft and Jewel-Osco, so is the response. With their help, we are able to distribute food to a network that serves almost 500,000 people annually."

Kraft's Support of Chicago-area Hunger Programs

As America's leading food company, Kraft Foods is taking a stand when it comes to hunger, especially in the Chicago area. By partnering with organizations, such as Chicago-based Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest), Kraft provides much needed food to hungry people throughout the United States. A mission partner and top funder of Feeding America, Kraft also supports its affiliates here in Chicago -- the Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank. Kraft has provided nearly $900,000 to Chicago-area hunger relief organizations in 2008 and also supports these organizations with the time and talents of their employees.

Around the world, Kraft contributes approximately $100 million annually in food and money to community organizations in more than 130 countries. Since 1997, Kraft has provided more than 1 billion servings of fresh food worldwide.

ABOUT KRAFT FOODS INC.

For more than a century, Kraft (http://www.kraft.com/) has offered delicious foods and beverages that fit the way consumers live. Millions of times a day in more than 150 countries, consumers reach for their favorite Kraft brands, including nine with revenues exceeding $1 billion: Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; Oscar Mayer meats; Philadelphia cream cheese; Maxwell House coffee; Nabisco cookies and crackers and its Oreo brand; Jacobs coffees; Milka chocolates; and LU biscuits. Kraft is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies with annual revenues exceeding $37 billion, more than 100,000 employees and more than 180 manufacturing and processing facilities globally. The company's stock is listed on the Standard & Poor's 100 and 500 indexes as well as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.