Hiller's and Velvet Peanut Butter

June 29, 2010 – Hiller's Markets and Velvet Peanut Butter team up to beat hunger in the summer one PB & J sandwich at a time.

During the summer months, when low-income families can no longer rely on free school lunches to help feed their kids, Lighthouse of Oakland County – a charity that helps provide food for 500 to 600 families a month – steps in. Sadly, at the start of this summer, the cupboards were bare of peanut butter, an important protein source.

In a simple twist of fate, Velvet Peanut Butter’s CEO Eric Bruce had contacted one of his main vendors – Hiller’s Markets – to scope out opportunities to make a charitable donation. “I had always been impressed with the many charitable works Hiller’s does. Although we are a small company I wanted to do our bit to help people in these tough times. Working with Hiller’s to help feed hungry kids was a great match,” explains Bruce.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Lighthouse of Oakland County was thrilled to hear that 10 cases of peanut butter would be coming their way. Then Justin Hiller, vice president of Hiller’s Markets, decided to make the donation a complete PB & J package. He organized donations of freshly baked Michigan-based Aunt Millie’s bread and Fairmont Farms Jelly and Hiller’s Markets is transporting the food supplies to the Pontiac-based charity on Friday, July 2.

“Both Velvet Peanut Butter and Hiller’s have a long-standing tradition in the Detroit area,” says Justin Hiller. “We both want to help, to do our part in strengthening the community. And helping children is a vital part of that, especially when there’s a real danger of children not getting enough to eat when school is out.”

Lighthouse of Oakland County’s CEO, John Ziraldo, is delighted with the donation. “It is not simply support for Lighthouse, it is neighbors helping neighbors,” says Ziraldo. ”We are all about providing healthy, nutritious, good quality food to help families that are struggling.”

Ziraldo pointed out that the poor economy has forced more people to come to Lighthouse for help. “A third of the people we are seeing now are coming for help for the first time in their lives. It is a very challenging time, but we are also seeing the remarkable generosity of folks,” he adds.

Lighthouse of Oakland County is at 46156 Woodward Avenue in Pontiac. The charity has been operating since 1972 and provides emergency housing, food, utilities and medical help to needy families who come from all over the county. Last year alone, it helped families and individuals on 70,000 separate occasions.

Velvet Peanut Butter was founded in 1937 and was a staple in Michigan households for more than half a century. Michigan native Eric Bruce revived the brand in 2008 and it is now available state wide. The Velvet Peanut Butter Company pledges 10% of its annual profits to support charitable efforts.