We were delighted to have the opportunity to work with renowned actor/director/writer Tyler Perry as part of a national holiday event sponsored by Netflix and America's Second Harvest, the Nation's Food Bank Network. Perry was one of a group of celebrities who visited, volunteered and toured food banks in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Atlanta. (Other participating stars included Kevin Bacon, Teri Hatcher and Morgan Freeman.)

Perry, well known for his creation and comic portrayal of Mabel "Madea" Simmons in Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion, took this opportunity to speak seriously on behalf of those living with hunger and poverty during a live interview on CNN.

As we tally the numbers for holiday food drives (look for our Top Food Drives feature in the March edition of ACFB eNews), we'd like to take a moment to thank one of our most loyal longtime partners in the fight against hunger. For the past 22 years, Kroger has made it easy for their customers to donate food and funds from Thanksgiving to New Year's. Kroger representatives report that 2007 was a spectacular year for their annual holiday drive, now known as Can Hunger. We are grateful to Kroger and all of their customers who participated this year.

Thanks 99X for making the Atlanta Community Food Bank your beneficiary of choice for Mistletoe Jam 2007! ACFB Marketing and Projects Director Janice Reece was invited to come onstage to receive the Food Bank's check for $10,000 at the holiday benefit held in December at Arena at Gwinnett Center. The sold-out show, featuring Modest Mouse, The Shins, Silverchair and Silversun Pickups, was a tremendous success.