February 13, 2009

Target Hunger, a nonprofit agency working to alleviate hunger and its root causes in the heart of Houston's inner city, will honor Pappas Restaurants with the Target Hunger Harvesting Hope Humanitarian Award for their dedication and commitment in the fight against hunger.

The Ninth Annual Target Hunger Gala will be held Thursday, February 19, at the River Oaks Country Club at 7 p.m. with a pre-reception and Silent Auction beginning at 6 p.m. The Event Hosts are Mr. & Mrs. John Daugherty, Jr. of John Daugherty, Realtors. Event Chairman is William Miller, President of Mainframe Service Management for BMC Software, Inc. Entertainment will be provided by Two-Time Grammy Award Nominee, Scott Gertner. Master of Ceremony will be Jerome Gray, Award Winning Journalist with KPRC Local 2 News.

In a release, the group noted that for the first time individuals or corporations can sponsor the event at the Platinum level for $25,000. ConocoPhillips recently signed on to become the first Platinum Sponsor.

Target Hunger, a United Way agency, was established in 1989 as a grassroots, community-based program to combat the growing hunger problem in Houston's inner-city neighborhoods. Each month, Target Hunger distributes food to more than 8,500 needy Houstonians through its 12 neighborhood food pantries, 16 community gardens, and 10 senior day sites. In conjunction with hunger relief, Target Hunger empowers families to become self-sufficient by offering courses and training in nutrition, literacy and math, after-school hot meals program, summer youth enrichment program, ESL & GED Classes, counseling, and job skills education.