Verizon TelecomPioneers From Maine to Virginia Help Maryland Food Bank Gear Up for Major Fundraiser

Volunteers Tackle Various Jobs Including Cleaning, Labeling and Sorting

April 22, 2006, BALTIMORE - In celebration of National Volunteer Week, Verizon TelecomPioneers rolled up their sleeves today and got the Maryland Food Bank ready for one of its biggest fundraisers - the inaugural Blue Jean Ball.

At the ball, to be held annually, Maryland Food Bank supporters dress in blue jeans, dance and have fun, and raise money for a good cause: to help feed the hungry. Today, about 50 Verizon TelecomPioneers tackled various jobs that included weighing, labeling and sorting cans of food, and moving pallets of food to different areas of Maryland Food Bank’s warehouse.

The Pioneers also gave the Maryland Food Bank a $500 donation and 574 pounds of canned and nonperishable food items.

“We are thrilled to get such overwhelming support from the Verizon TelecomPioneers,” said Barbara Craig, volunteer coordinator for the Maryland Food Bank. “This was a hearty, hefty move ’em out and clean-up day. Volunteers came expecting a good workout, and they certainly got one in our warehouse.”

Nancy Mazepa, vice president of the Verizon TelecomPioneers - Maryland Chapter, said, “The Maryland Food Bank makes such a significant impact in Maryland that we wholeheartedly wanted to support the organization. We are committed to giving back and making a difference in our communities.”

National Volunteer Week runs April 26-29. The Blue Jean Ball will be held April 28.

About The Maryland Food Bank:
The Maryland Food Bank, an affiliate of America’s Second Harvest and the only food bank serving the entire state, was founded in 1979 to coordinate the procurement and distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the state’s hungry. The food bank provides nearly 12 million pounds of food annually to 1,000 community food providers - including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, low-income day care centers, after-school programs, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and other feeding programs. The Maryland Food Bank supplies the food for over 50,000 Marylanders each week who otherwise would go hungry or not eat enough, including families with children, the elderly, the homeless, the homebound, low-income workers, the recently unemployed, and people with AIDS and other health problems. For more information, visit www.mdfoodbank.org.

About Verizon TelecomPioneers:
Built upon the values of loyalty, fellowship and service, the Telephone Pioneers of America is the world’s largest industry-related volunteer organization. Founded in 1911, the Pioneer organization is comprised of dozens of chapters operating in the United States and Canada. The nearly 620,000 members of the Pioneers are current employees and retirees of telecommunications companies. Verizon Communications, through a grant from the Verizon Foundation, sponsors more than 130,000 of these members, who are organized into 17 chapters across the United States. Their primary service focus is education. During the past 12 months, they have volunteered more than 2 million hours in their communities. For more information, visit www.verizonpioneers.org.

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Sandra Arnette

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Verizon Communications

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