MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. — Cargill announced on March 22 that it has made a donation of $250,000 to Second Harvest Japan, a Tokyo-based food bank that is delivering truckloads of food and other needed items to the Tohoku region to provide nourishment to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. Cargill's donation will be used to help the organization procure and deliver food and other supplies to those in need at evacuation centers and welfare agencies. In addition to the grant to Second Harvest Japan, Cargill is matching employee contributions to the Red Cross. Cargill business units also have contributed approximately $125,000 to the Japanese Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations responding in Japan.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Japan as they face the shocking aftermath of this disaster," said Mark Murphy, assistant vice-president, Cargill Corporate Affairs. "There is an urgent need to deliver food and basic supplies to the people in Japan who have been most affected by this disaster. Ensuring access to safe, nutritious food has long been a focus of Cargill's community outreach efforts. We are pleased to be able to support a local organization such as Second Harvest Japan, which has been providing food to those in need for more than ten years."


Second Harvest Japan is currently sending two large trucks every two days to Sendai with food and supplies. Second Harvest Japan is a member of the Global Foodbanking Network, an existing Cargill partner that supports food bank development around the world. Second Harvest Japan, the nation's first food bank, collects food that would otherwise go to waste from grocery stores and food manufacturers and makes it available to soup kitchens, orphanages and other organizations. For more information, or to donate to Second Harvest Japan, visitwww.2hj.org.