Tony Stewart Chooses Decatur to Distribute Food and Essentials

DECATUR, Ill. (September x, 2012) –NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and Macon Speedway are teaming up with Feed The Children to deliver a truckload of food and essentials to NE Community Fund on Tuesday, September 18. The food and essentials will be distributed to 400 families at 1 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church (2727 N. Union Blvd) in Decatur. Veteran racecar driver Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schrader are scheduled to attend the distribution.

This distribution is in recognition of Tony Stewart’s top 10 finish in this year’s Prelude to the Dream race that took place at Eldora Speedway. Stewart, along with Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Bob Sargent, is a co-owner of Macon Speedway and chose the community of Decatur as the recipient of this donation as a thank you to Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace for hosting the “Night with the Kenny’s” fundraiser at Prelude to benefit Feed The Children. This is one of 10 truckloads of food Feed The Children will send around the country on behalf of the top ten finishers in the Prelude to the Dream racing event.

NE Community Fund has pre-identified families receiving the boxes. Each family will receive a 25-pound box of food and a 10-pound box of personal care items. The boxes are designed to help a family of four for up to one week. Macon Speedway will also be providing a Family Fun pack for all 400 families that will include free tickets to a race.

More than one in three children living in Decatur (39 percent) is considered impoverished. In fact, the number of children living in poverty in Illinois (600,045) could fill Memorial Stadium in Champaign more than nine times.

“We are excited to provide help and hope to Decatur children and families on behalf of Tony Stewart,” said Kevin Hagan, Feed The Children President and CEO. “Our thanks go out to him and all the drivers who are helping us to make a difference in children’s lives all across America.”

Feed The Children
Since 1979, Feed The Children has consistently ranked as one of the largest international charities in the U.S., based on private, non-government support. Our mission is providing hope and resources for those without life’s essentials. In FY 2011, Feed The Children distributed more than 104 million pounds of food and other essentials to children and their families in all 50 states and internationally. For more information, visit www.feedthechildren.org