Over $150,000 Raised to Help Fishermen Get Back on Their Feet
BALTIMORE, Md., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Baltimore, Maryland based
Phillips Foods, Inc. has kicked off the second phase of its Operation
Build-a-Boat program, releasing the first boats built into the hands of
tsunami-affected fishermen. Designed to put boats and fishing gear directly
into the hands of those who need them most, Operation Build-a-Boat has raised
over $150,000 through seafood industry and individual donations for the
fishermen who lost their livelihoods in the tragedy that struck in December
2004.
"Operation Build-a-Boat puts actual boats, nets, fishing lines and
equipment directly into the hands of the coastal fishermen who desperately
need them to get back on their feet." said Steve Phillips, chief executive
officer of Phillips Foods, Inc. "By providing these fishermen in Indonesia,
India and Sri Lanka with fully-equipped boats, Phillips not only gives them
the means to create an income, but also enables them to feed their families
through the seafood they catch."
Boats are constructed in each country, utilizing local materials and
craftsmen, helping to further channel funds into each economy. Operation
Build-a-Boat spurs on localized development; most importantly, this
development is sustainable in the long term to bring the individuals in the
affected coastal villages back to self-sufficiency.
"Phillips has adopted -- and taken a few creative liberties in the wording
-- an old adage as its motto for Operation Build-a-Boat: 'Give a man a fish,
you feed him for a day. Build a man a boat, you feed his family for a
lifetime'," said Aden King, Director of Operation Build-a-Boat.
The Ocean City Lions Club, Ocean City's Seacrets Resort, Preferred
Freezer, Allines Inc., The Brick Companies Foundation, and various Phillips
employees held fundraisers and ran promotional nights to contribute to the
initiative. One Phillips employee's child even gave up one of the most
exciting times in a child's life, his birthday party, to donate the money to
this effort.
Phillips has committed 100 percent of all funds raised directly toward
building and equipping boats. Working with local suppliers within its network
of established relationships in the coastal seafood villages, Phillips Foods'
team throughout Asia will identify the fishermen who have an immediate need
for boats and boating equipment.
About Phillips Foods, Inc.:
Phillips Foods, Inc. is leading the seafood industry with the highest
quality and most delicious seafood products on the market today. Owning and
operating crab plants and seafood restaurants for over 45 years has placed
Phillips in a unique niche in the food and restaurant world. Phillips --
Making Seafood a Bigger Part of Life(TM). For more information on Phillips'
products and recipes, please visit http://www.phillipsfoods.com .
Donation Details
Please send your donation check payable to:
Phillips Foods Tsunami Fund, Inc.
(non-profit status pending):
Phillips Foods, Inc./ Attn: Build-a-Boat
1215 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230
Tsunami.rebuild@phillipsfoods.com
http://www.phillipsfoods.com
SOURCE Phillips Foods, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.phillipsfoods.com
CONTACT:
April Guillerme, aguillerme@mww.com, or
Lauren Zaccardi, lzaccardi@mww.com, +1-201-507-0092, both of MWW
Group, for Phillips Foods, Inc.
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