sny spotlight: Food Bank For New York City & The Lunchbox Fund

NEW YORK, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- One-hundred-plus celebrities from the entertainment, fashion, art, music, literary and culinary worlds, remind us that food matters, by creating personalized lunchbox art to be offered for online auction to benefit children served by two hunger-relief organizations -- The Food Bank For New York City and The Lunchbox Fund. The online auction on eBay/hosted by AuctionCause, will launch on Friday, October 14th, 2005, beginning at 9:00 p.m. EDT, @ http://www.thelunchboxauction.org.

Among the 100+ contributing artists who hope to take a bite out of hunger, are: Bono, Jamie Foxx, EDGE/U-2, Mike Myers, Cameron Crowe, Charlize Theron, President Bill Clinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Spike Lee, Angelina Jolie, Jon Stewart, Casey Affleck, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Brittany Murphy, Joaquin Phoenix, Liv Tyler, Frances Fisher, Emeril Lagasse, Patti Smith, David Bowie & Iman, Alan Cumming, Mary Louise Parker & Justin Theroux, Peter Sarsgaard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paul Rudd, Sarah Jones, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Francesco Clemente, James Frey, John Leguizamo, Jimmy Fallon, Amber Tamblyn, Dermot Mulroney, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Zach Braff, John Waters, Kenny Chesney, Mario Batali, James Earl Jones, Wolfgang Puck, Lisa Marie Presley, Joy Behar, Al Franken, Tavis Smiley, Mike D/Beastie Boys, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, and Rogan, Edun, Cynthia Rowley, Kate Spade, Libertine, Heatherette, Stephane Sednaui, Some Odd Rubies, Devi Kroell, Buckler, Phyllis Lebowitz, Lucy Barnes, and The Queer Eye Guys.

Each lunchbox is reflective of the artists' personal expression and no two lunchboxes are alike. Whether you are an art lover who is looking for a wonderful new collectible, or simply a dedicated fan of the artist -- you'll find this to be a diverse and extraordinary collection. Two-time Academy-Award winner Hilary Swank has produced another winner -- a stunning lunchbox adorned with semi-precious jewels and beads; Cameron Crowe tells a short story of lunchbox memories; Mike Myers has created an original fridge magnet poem; John Waters' tribute to his Tony-Award winning 'Hairspray" will astound and amaze; while David Bowie and Iman painted their lunchbox with an assist from their five-year-old daughter, Alexi; Some Odd Rubies reworked vintage clothing to create a vintage lunchbox; and designers Kate Spade, Cynthia Rowley, and Rogan each used their creative talents to create unique, stylish versions of a child's lunchbox.

Lunchboxes will be offered for auction in lots of ten at a time. There will be no minimum bid. Each group of ten lunchboxes will be available for auction for a period of ten days, at which time the highest bidder will be announced. The auction is expected to run through December so check back often to find your favorite. Each lunchbox is signed and numbered by the artists. President Bill Clinton will personally sign his lunchbox to the highest bidder.

LOG ON AND BID. End hunger! October 14th, 2005, at 9:00 p.m. EST, LOG ON AND BID @ http://www.thelunchboxauction.org.

At least two million New York City residents are at risk of going hungry. The majority of them are women with children, the elderly, the disabled and the working poor. Food Bank For New York City, the city's primary supplier of food for the hungry, helps provide the food for over 240,000 free meals served each day by more than 1,200 nonprofit community food programs in the five boroughs. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 67 million pounds of food and was recognized as Food Bank of the Year by America's Second Harvest, The Nation's Food Bank Network. For more information, visit our website at http://www.foodbanknyc.org.

The Lunchbox Fund, founded in 2004, is a non-profit organization that provides lunch to school children throughout South Africa who would otherwise go without sustenance for indefinite periods of time. Often, it is their only meal of the day. Many of these children are AIDS orphans who are running child-headed households, and who cannot afford to pay their basic school fees of $15 per year, Through The Lunchbox Fund, these children are provided with the food they need to sustain themselves, while hopefully moving forward to achieve their goals. It takes just twenty-five cents to fill a child's lunchbox for a day. For more information, visit our website at http://www.thelunchboxfund.org.

    For additional information, contact Carol Schneider at (212) 566-7855.

That's So New York