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The Meat Factory makes meatloaf for Ontario's food banks

TORONTO, ON (My 31st, 2008) – The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) is delighted to announce one of the largest single donations of meat in the organization's history. The overwhelming donation of over 57,000 pounds of meatloaf was prepared specifically for food banks in Ontario by The Meat Factory (TMF), a local food company that has been serving up award-winning fresh and fully prepared meats for more than 25 years.
   
"The generous donation by The Meat Factory is coming at a very important time for families across the province that are struggling with rising grocery bills and gas prices," said Adam Spence, Executive Director of the OAFB. "Lou's gift will support thousands of Ontario families who are forced to turn to food banks in order to put food on the table."
   
Over 6,000 families will benefit from the donation of valuable meat protein. Meat protein is in the greatest demand for those forced to turn to food banks because of their high nutritional value and retail price. But this is not the first time TMF has supported Ontario's food banks. This donation, valued at over $280,000, is a part of The Meat Factory's ongoing support of the OAFB. TMF has donated over $500,000 worth of food to date, including highly valued items such as peameal bacon, salmon, and beef.
  
"We believe that it's important for every family to be able to enjoy a hot meal together." said Lou Albanese, Owner of The Meat Factory. "But a lot of folks are going through tough times. So, we decided to prepare a large batch of meatloaf to share with other families across the province."
   
Lou worked together with his employees to specially prepare and process the meatloaf for food banks this spring. The donation will be distributed to food banks in over 50 communities across the province, including Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Dunnville, Thunder Bay, Cochrane, and Cornwall. The product will be transported with the generous support of Erb Transportation and Farm Credit Canada (FCC).
   
"Lou has shown great leadership through his commitment to his neighbours," said John Geurtjens, Director, Guelph for FCC. "We are proud to stand behind The Meat Factory in their support of food banks in rural and urban Ontario."

The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) is a network of over 100 food banks including communities across the province from Ottawa to Windsor, and Niagara Falls to Thunder Bay.  Over 330,000 Ontarians are served by food banks every month, and 40 per cent of those served are children.  For more information about the OAFB, and hunger and poverty in Ontario, please visit www.oafb.ca.

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For further information, contact:
Adam Spence, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB),
w: 416.656.4100, c: 416.543.0897

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