DGE Diageo Plc

NAPA, Calif., April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Beaulieu Vineyard® (BV), the great American winery in the heart of Napa Valley, has recognized eight volunteers across the U.S. who are making a huge difference in the fight for hunger relief – volunteers the winery calls its BV Hometown Hunger Heroes. Now until April 18, BV is asking consumers to select one BV National Hometown Hunger Hero, who will be celebrated on a national level with actor Chris Noth presenting a $10,000 donation at the hero's hunger relief organization next month.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130415/NY94261)

The recognition is all part of the winery's Give & Give Back program, through which the Hometown Hunger Heroes have been honored with $1,000 donations to their respective organizations each month since October. From now until April 18^th, BV encourages consumers to help pick the hunger hero who's made the biggest impact by voting at facebook.com/bvwines.

• Jeff Green – Green Harvest Food Pantry
• Jayne Lovaglio – Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children
• Scott Hampton – Feeding America
• Michael Snider – North Texas Food Bank
• Brett Meyers – Nourish Now
• John Dresser – Second Harvest Food Bank
• Martina Santos – City Harvest
• Richard Levitin – Meals on Wheels

"It is astonishing to me that we still have such a hunger problem in the United States," said Chris Noth, who will volunteer alongside the BV Give & Give Back National Hometown Hunger Hero and their organization this spring. "We can all do our part to end hunger. Throughout my time working with BV and Give & Give Back, I've been so inspired by the hunger heroes who work so selflessly to serve the needs of those in their local communities. These volunteers are true heroes making a difference in their local communities and should be recognized as such."

There are over 17 million children in the U.S. living in food insecure households and one in six Americans does not have access to food. Over the past two years, BV has committed to fighting hunger in America by donating over two million meals and counting.

"Giving back to the community is one of the pillars we pride ourselves on supporting at BV," said Noelle Campbell, director of marketing for BV. "Hunger is a cause we will continue to rally behind along with our partners across the country. We are on a mission to make sure as many food insecure households as possible have the resources they need to feed their families."

To learn more about the eight hometown hunger heroes who have been honored throughout the Give & Give Back program and they work they are doing for their local communities visit BVWines.com. Voting runs until April 18^th at facebook.com/bvwines.

Please remember to drink BV responsibly.

About Beaulieu Vineyard
Beaulieu Vineyard wines are produced by Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E) is part of Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O); the world's leading premium drinks business. DC&E brands also include: BV Coastal Estates, Sterling Vineyards, Sterling Vintner's Collection, Chalone Vineyard, Acacia Vineyard, Provenance Vineyards and Rosenblum Cellars. DC&E is also a leading importer of estate-bottled wines from Burgundy. For more information about BV, visit www.bvwines.com.

About Diageo
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines. Diageo is a global company, trading 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.

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SOURCE Beaulieu Vineyard