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Yum! Brands donates $1 million for African hunger relief

August 17, 2011

Yum! Brands, parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, announced that it is directing the first $1 million from its World Hunger Relief global effort to provide food to families affected by hunger and drought in the Horn of Africa. The funds will help the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) feed those in urgent need of food assistance.

Drought, high food prices and conflict in the Horn of Africa is affecting more than 13 million people. WFP is rapidly moving life-saving food and nutritional products by sea, air and road to hungry populations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti and Somalia to address their needs. In Somalia alone, WFP is feeding 1.5 million people in the northern and central parts of the country and in Mogadishu which continues to fill up with those fleeing the famine zone.

"The situation throughout the Horn of Africa is desperate and we all need to help," said David Novak, chairman and CEO, Yum! Brands Inc. "As a company with a huge heart, we believe it is critical to immediately commit the first $1 million from our World Hunger Relief effort to aid the people throughout the Horn of Africa."

Novak and other senior executives and franchise leaders from KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Yum! Restaurants International traveled to Honduras earlier this week to help WFP's relief efforts in the country. Honduras is one of the many recipients of funds raised through World Hunger Relief.

Yum! Brands' annual fall World Hunger Relief effort spans 110 countries, 38,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants and more than 1 million employees, to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds for WFP and other hunger relief agencies.

Multi-Grammy Award winner Christina Aguilera is this year's global spokesperson and will appear in a new public service announcement this fall as well as advertising, online efforts and posters in KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants.

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