NORWALK, Conn., Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo, the
world's leading premium spirits, wine and beer company, in
partnership with the Bridge Foundation, delivered two high-powered
generators, one at the Geraldine Gigi
Foushee retirement home, and the other at Engine Company 16
in Newark, NJ. In addition, Diageo
also facilitated the delivery of 84,960 bottles of water – enough
to fill two and a half semi-trucks – for distribution throughout
New York and New Jersey.
One of the 280 kilowatt (kw) generators was delivered to a
city-owned retirement home in the heart of Newark, where more than 900 residents were
without power for more than three days. The generator is being used
to power the HVAC system, lighting, important medical equipment,
and the elevators for the 11-story building.
The other generator was placed early Friday morning at a
still-dark fire station, Engine Company 16 in Newark, where firefighters normally operate
three fireboats to patrol the Passaic River. Their role
changed significantly over Sandy's duration as the boats were being
used to extract residents from their flooded homes and other
locations along the lower Hudson
River, and to deliver emergency equipment to locations
inaccessible by land.
"Diageo's generous donation of generators allowed the
City of Newark to provide a basic
human necessity - electric power - to the residents of the Foushee
retirement home. The generators brought life-saving relief to
dozens whose lives are dependent on critical medical equipment such
as ventilators and oxygen concentrators," said Battalion Chief
Mike Reed, of the Newark Fire Department. "All of us at the
Newark Emergency Operations Center
are tremendously impressed at the speed with which the generators
were delivered."
Diageo also delivered bottled water to Hillside Food Bank in
Hillside, NJ on Wednesday and to
Floyd Bennett Field late Friday night where National Guard troops
are staging provisions for storm victims. In addition, Diageo
employees dispatched bottled water in six New Jersey towns, including Hoboken, West
Caldwell, Little Ferry,
Belmar, Trenton and Edison.
Guy Smith, Executive Vice
President of Diageo North America said: "Any time we can be there
to provide the necessary relief for disaster victims is a great day
for the people of Diageo. We will continue to work closely with
city officials to ensure these resources are meeting the needs of
the victims and first responders of Hurricane Sandy."
This relief effort is part of Diageo's Spirit of the Americas
Humanitarian Aid program. Established in the aftermath of the
September 11th attacks,
the Spirit of the Americas program provides immediate relief and
disaster aid around the world.
About Diageo's Spirit of the Americas Humanitarian Aid
Program
In December 2001,
Diageo brought the first corporate humanitarian airlift to war-torn
Afghanistan by delivering more
than 100,000 pounds of food and emergency supplies to 800 orphans
in Kabul. In June of 2003, the
company chartered a DC-8 cargo plane and delivered more than
150,000 pounds of food, medicine and school supplies to
Baghdad, becoming the first
American company to embark upon a humanitarian mission into
Iraq. In the 11 years since the
inception of Diageo's Spirit of the Americas foundation, Diageo has
delivered humanitarian aid, often in the wake of horrific storms or
intense conflict, to Haiti, the
Dominican Republic, Mississippi, New
Orleans, Texas,
Florida, Alabama, Grenada, Jamaica, Sudan and Louisiana.
Diageo not only funds these missions, but, just as they have
since 9/11, company executives and employees also accompany the
relief supplies to the crisis zone and help distribute the aid,
making sure we are there every step of the way. This is what makes
Diageo's humanitarian aid projects unique. Whether it's in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Grenada, Haiti, Indonesia or Diageo's home state of
Connecticut, the Spirit of the
Americas is there.
Diageo's Spirit of America Humanitarian Aid Missions is
facilitated by the Bridge Foundation, a nonprofit humanitarian aid
and development organization that provides humanitarian relief
worldwide.
About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's
leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of
beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands
include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal,
JεB, Windsor, Buchanan's and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff,
Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray, Guinness, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards
Wines.
Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than
180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the
New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).
For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and
performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that
promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice
tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
Contact:
Rachel
Rosenblatt
1-212-850-5600
SOURCE Diageo