Exerpt from Doubletree Press Release – WASHINGTON, D.C. January 22, 2010 – In response to the tragic earthquakes in Haiti, Doubletree Hotels today announced a US$50,000 donation on behalf of its Teaching Kids to CARE community outreach program to Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP). The donation will help support the United Nations World Food Program’s (WFP) School Meals initiative in Haiti in an effort to further assist the recovery efforts currently underway.

“World hunger is always a critical issue and during times of disaster the magnitude of basic needs can seem overwhelming. It’s important to focus on the role we can all play with donations as well as hands-on philanthropy,” said Mary Beth Parks, vice president – brand marketing for Doubletree Hotels. “We are so impressed with the efforts of our hotels and their local adopted schools during our recent Teaching Kids to CARE food drive. We hope that this donation to Friends of WFP both honors those efforts and provides resources to help Haiti during this terribly difficult time.”

For more information about Doubletree Hotels’ Teaching Kids to CARE program, please visit our Think Trees website at www.doubletree.com/thinktrees. Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP) and the World Food Program are now accepting pledges and donations for Haiti disaster relief. For more information on how you can help the United Nations World Food Program and their efforts in Haiti, visit www.friendsofwfp.org.

Doubletree Hotel San Jose participated in the Fall Teaching Kids to CARE program as well. We partnered with a school just around the block from us, Bachrodt Elementary. Together we collected food for our local Second Harvest Food Bank. We even gave the kids a challenge to get them motivated. The class who collected the most won a Doubletree cookies and milk party. Congratulations to Mr. Gonzalez’s first grade class who were our winners!