Rihanna to Perform at the Feeding America and the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball

Proceeds From the Event to Benefit the Growing Number of Hungry Americans

CHICAGO, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Feeding America and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced today that Def Jam artist and Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award-winning global superstar Rihanna will perform at an inauguration charity ball on January 20, 2008 in Washington, D.C. All of the proceeds from the RIAA inauguration after party will go directly to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. The joint announcement was made today by Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, and Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Vicki Escarra said, “We are thrilled to have Rihanna’s participation in the inauguration charity ball. As the prevalence of hunger in America increases at an unprecedented rate, we are most grateful to Rihanna and to RIAA for helping us bring greater visibility to this tragic reality and helping us feed millions more people in need.”

David Arquette, chairman of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council said, “We are hopeful that President-elect Obama’s pledge to fighting hunger in America and ending child hunger by 2015 will bring relief to the 1 in 8 million Americans at risk of hunger today. We can all do our part by raising money, donating food, or volunteering. The RIAA Inauguration event is the perfect example of an organization that has chosen to lead the way by choosing Feeding America as it beneficiary.”

Mitch Bainwol said, “We are delighted to partner with Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic charity dedicated to hunger relief, to announce Grammy-award winner and superstar Rihanna as the performer at our inauguration event. With her unique sound and addictive melodies that have garnered numerous Grammy awards and countless other music accolades, Rihanna is the perfect fit to entertain our inauguration audience as we salute the historic Obama Administration and the anti-hunger efforts of Feeding America.”

Other special celebrity guests and entertainers, including members of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council, as well as details about the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

With the economic downturn, our nation’s food banks are experiencing an unprecedented increase in the demand for emergency food assistance. In the past few months the demand for food assistance in many communities has increased anywhere from 15% to 100%. Food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries are seeing many new faces each day.

This event is not open to the general public and is by invitation only. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact: PJ McCann; (202) 669-2687; pjmccann@comcast.net

To donate or to learn more about Feeding America, please visit: www.FeedingAmerica.org

About Feeding America

(Formerly named America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network)

Feeding America provides individuals and families facing hunger with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks operate 63,000 agencies that address hunger through emergency food assistance and programs. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit www.feedingamerica.org.

About RIAA

The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members’ creative and financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA(R) members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States.

In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect intellectual property rights worldwide and the First Amendment rights of artists; conduct consumer industry and technical research; and monitor and review state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The RIAA(R) also certifies Gold(R), Platinum(R), Multi-Platinum(TM), and Diamond sales awards as well as Los Premios De Oro y Platino(TM), an award celebrating Latin music sales and its new Digital Sales award.

SOURCE Feeding America