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KFC® announces program to award
$1,000 `Neighborhood' grants

'KFCares' program to run at 25 Louisville-area restaurants

Mayor Abramson Declares September 5 `KFCares Kickoff Day'

LOUISVILLE, September 5, 1996 / Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson joined KFC Chief Operating Officer Chuck Rawley to announce the new "KFCares" Neighborhood Partners program, declaring today "KFCares Kickoff Day" in Louisville. The pilot program provides $1,000 to each of Louisville's 25 KFC restaurants to award to community groups in their neighborhoods.

The announcement was made by Abramson and Rawley on Thursday, September 5 at 11:00 a.m. in front of the KFC Restaurant Support Center's "White House" building. With them were the local KFC restaurant general managers who will be instrumental in awarding the grants. As a special bonus, five-year-old students from the KFC-supported "Project Jump Start" Early Education Classroom at Rangeland Elementary sang a song created especially for the occasion.

"KFC is making a real investment in Louisville," Mayor Abramson said. "Block by block and street by street, neighborhoods are the true foundation of our city; and these grants will help bolster the efforts of citizens working for the good of their community."

"KFCares" is a pilot program where managers at each of KFC's 25 Louisville restaurants will oversee the selection of a worthy community project from the neighborhood in which that store operates. The 25 selected projects each will receive $1,000. Residents submit project proposals on entry forms available from their neighborhood KFC restaurant. Checks will be awarded at a special celebration in October.

"We know there are a lot of people in Louisville working hard every day to make their neighborhoods an even better place to live," said Rawley. "They know first-hand the needs of their communities - those projects they dream about but just can't quite get enough money to make happen. Those are the kinds of projects we're looking for."

"KFC continually steps up with innovative community involvement programs. They're contributors to Operation Brightside; they've adopted a Jump Start class at Rangeland; and now they're rewarding citizens for their valuable neighborhood projects," the Mayor said. "They've given new meaning to the slogan, `Everybody needs a little KFC.'"

"KFCares" entry forms are available now at the 25 KFC restaurants in Louisville and vicinity, including Fern Creek, the Highlands, Jeffersontown, Middletown, Okolona, Pleasure Ridge Park, Shawnee, St. Matthews, Shivley and Valley Station. Deadline for entries is September 21.

Local KFC restaurant general managers, assisted by KFCares committee members at the RSC, will review the proposals, conduct on-site visits, and select the winners. Winners will be announced at a special celebration in October. Each KFC restaurant will display a plaque picturing its award recipient and describing the project.

Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. (KFC), based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in both fried and roasted chicken pieces and homestyle sides. Since its founding by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, KFC has been "America's Leading Kitchen For Convenient Meals," serving customers delicious, already-prepared complete family meals at affordable prices. There are more than 9,800 KFC outlets in 73 countries around the world serving more than six and a half-million customers each day. In 1996, KFC celebrates 10 years as a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, N.Y. (PEP).

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