Nissan donates $20,000, conducts volunteer day for Mississippi Food Network's BackPack Program

• The BackPack Program provides meals to students at risk of experiencing hunger on weekends and during school vacations.
• Since 2006, Nissan has donated nearly $80,000 to the Mississippi Food Network.
• Nissan employees assembled more than 800 meal kits on November 22.

CANTON, Miss. – Today Nissan announced a $20,000 donation to the Mississippi Food Network as part of its ongoing support for Mississippi children in need. The funds will be used to expand the organization's BackPack Program for students in elementary through junior high school. In addition to the monetary contribution, which will fund 4,000 backpack meals, employees from the Nissan Vehicle Assembly Plant in Canton packaged more than 800 meal kits for the program on November 22 as part of a Nissan day of service.

The BackPack Program is a nationwide initiative that was launched by Feeding America. It provides hungry children with nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals and snacks for the times when they do not have access to breakfast and lunch at school—on weekends and during vacations. The Mississippi Food Network's program currently serves 1,090 children at 25 participating sites each week, and Nissan's contribution will support the distribution of meals at Operation Upward, a non-profit in Jackson, Miss.

"Far too many children in Mississippi are at risk of going hungry each week. School meals are an important part of the solution, but they are not available every day. That is why the BackPack Program is so important, and supporters like Nissan enable us to help more kids," said Charles H. Beady, CEO of the Mississippi Food Network.

Since 2006, Nissan has donated nearly $80,000 to the Mississippi Food Network. More than 98 percent of the contributions have gone to the BackPack Program, and they have funded 15,800 meals. This year, Nissan doubled its contribution to $20,000, which will allow Operation Upward to increase the number of students it serves each week from 60 to 120.

To further advance the Mississippi Food Network's mission of relieving poverty-related hunger in Mississippi, Nissan employees assembled 800 meal kits in the non-profit's newly renovated packing room on November 22. They were the first volunteer group to ever assemble kits for the organization, donating their time so that the organization's funds go farther.

"The team at Nissan Canton is always eager to support the Mississippi Food Network, Operation Upward and the critical work they are doing in our community," said Steve Marsh, vice president of manufacturing, Nissan Canton. "We are humbled to play a role in the efforts to ensure that no child experiences hunger." 

Since the Canton assembly plant opened in 2003, Nissan and its employees have awarded more than $12 million in grants, scholarships and in-kind gifts to charitable organizations across Mississippi, with an emphasis on improving the lives of children. Nissan employees also give their time, volunteering in classrooms and with nonprofits focused on youth development and education.

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In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the U.S. media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. LEAF is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

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Contact
Parul Bajaj
Nissan Corporate Communications
(615) 725-3061
Parul.Bajaj@nissan-usa.com