Kobie Marketing Kicks-Off Holiday Meal Drive to Help the Growing Number of Families Seeking Assistance

St. Petersburg, FL (December 13, 2010) - To ensure hungry Floridians were able to enjoy a meal together this Thanksgiving, Kobie Marketing kicked-off its Holiday Meal Drive with an ambitious goal – to collect 3,000 pounds of food by the Thanksgiving Holiday.

To get the drive started, Kobie's employees delivered 3,251 pounds of food to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic on November 19. The donation is part of the company’s “Meal Express” program, which provides food to hunger-relief agencies throughout the Tampa Bay area before Thanksgiving.

“This year, more than ever, the St. Petersburg Free Clinic needed help from the community,” said Michael Hemsey, President of Kobie Marketing. “The need is great and we were pleased to offer much needed relief to families in the Tampa Bay area.”

To help the St. Petersburg Free Clinic meet its goal to deliver food to each of its 51 partner agencies for the Thanksgiving holiday, Kobie’s employees collected 4,122 cans of food worth $4,876.

“Many of our partner agencies depend on our food bank to stock their individual food pantries. Our service extends to thousands in our community in addition to the service we provide for our individual clients. Kobie Marketing’s help lets us accomplish our mission of providing basic needs for individuals and families,” said Ken Murphy, Director of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank. “We are thankful for Kobie Marketing’s initiative, compassion and generosity.”

Florida’s troubled economy and soaring unemployment rate have been driving forces behind an unprecedented increase in the demand for food donations this holiday season.