For the 12th season, every Green Bay Packers touchdown will fight hunger in Wisconsin

GREEN BAY (WITI) -- For the 12th season, the Green Bay Packers and Sargento will partner to support Touchdowns for Charity, a program which helps alleviate hunger in Wisconsin through contributions to food charities.

For each touchdown scored by the Packers during the 2014 regular season, Sargento will donate $1,000 to the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee and $500 to Paul’s Pantry in Green Bay.

“With each Packers’ pass, tackle and touchdown, we have the opportunity to fight hunger in our home state,” said Louie Gentine, CEO of Sargento Foods Inc. “We’re proud that, as the official cheese of the Green Bay Packers, we can continue to put points on the board for our community members in need.”

Since the program began, Sargento has donated more than $900,000 to these Wisconsin food charities for touchdowns scored in regular and postseason play.

During Packers home games, announcements will be made after every touchdown indicating the support for the program. In addition, Packers.com will feature a Sargento touchdown ticker with updated donation totals throughout the season.

Sargento, a family-owned, Wisconsin-based company, is supporting the Packers’ sponsorship and generating excitement from fans with in-store product promotions available at grocery retailers throughout Wisconsin. Fans can also get a taste of Sargento at Lambeau Field concessions with cheeseburgers featuring Sargento Deli Style Mild Cheddar cheese and breaded natural Cheddar cheese curds.

Founded in 1953 in Plymouth, Sargento is a leading manufacturer, packager and marketer of natural shredded, sliced and snack cheeses, cheese appetizers, ingredients, sauces and other culinary solutions. Sargento is owned and operated by the Gentine family, and has net sales of more than $1 billion and more than 1,700 employees.

A United Way agency, the Hunger Task Force is the only major food bank in Milwaukee County that provides all of its food to area pantries free of charge. The agency believes that every person has the right to adequate food obtained with dignity, and works to prevent and alleviate hunger and malnutrition by providing food to people in need today and by promoting social policies to achieve food security tomorrow.

Since 1984, Paul’s Pantry has distributed more than 80 million pounds of food to the needy of Brown County. Paul’s Pantry was one of the first food pantries to seek available surplus food from the marketplace and relies entirely on the community for its donations. Its goal is to provide families with enough food every week for as long as needed, so that they may use their food dollars to avoid homelessness.