Belk Carolinas’ Carrousel Parade Features Food Lion and Second Harvest

Thanksgiving Day Parade Audience Encouraged to Support Efforts to Fight Hunger

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NYSE: DEG

Food Lion and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Carrousel Parade by sharing a float in the annual parade. This is the fifth time Food Lion and Second Harvest have teamed up in the parade to promote their mutual efforts to fight hunger in this region.

“Second Harvest Food Bank is so excited to be partnering again with our largest food donor, Food Lion, in the Thanksgiving parade,” said Kay Carter, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. “We are so grateful for their outstanding support of our efforts. In the past five years they have donated over 31.6 million pounds of food to our Food Bank. We are proud to be riding on the Thanksgiving float with them.”

Second Harvest Donation Stations will be situated along the parade route to accept donations of canned or non-perishable food. The parade, which has been the region’s traditional kick-off to the holiday season since 1947, will take place on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22, starting at 10 a.m. The parade starts at 10th Street and North Tryon and ends at the Levine Center for the Arts at South Tryon Street. WBTV (Channel 3) will televise the parade at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

“Food Lion is honored to again sponsor the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in the Thanksgiving parade,” said Christy Phillips-Brown, Food Lion Community Relations and External Communications Director. “Food Lion’s philanthropic focus is on feeding the hungry, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina has been an outstanding partner for many years. We are pleased to continue to work closely with this organization, as well as many other food banks along the East Coast, to fight hunger in our communities.”

Linda Healy Vespa, executive director of Carolinas’ Carrousel, Inc., the non-profit organization that produces the Belk Carolinas’ Carrousel Parade said the Food Lion/Second Harvest Float is a popular annual item in the parade.

“Its Thanksgiving theme symbolizes the beginning of the holiday season and we hope it will encourage spectators and the television viewing audience to help families in need by giving generously to local food banks,” she said.

For information on the 2012 Belk Carolinas’ Carrousel Parade, contact Carolinas’ Carrousel, Inc. at 704-525-0250 or info@carrouselparade.org.

About Carolinas’ Carrousel, Inc.

The Belk Carolinas’ Carrousel Parade, celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, has evolved over more than six decades as a regional tradition and highlight of the Holiday Season. Founded in 1947 by four local businessmen to attract holiday shoppers to uptown Charlotte, the Thanksgiving week events have become much more. The Parade officially announces and celebrates the beginning of the holiday season and also offers businesses, organizations and the local citizenry the opportunity to showcase the region’s many assets and attractions and to encourage academic excellence in the future leaders of the area through the Carrousel Scholarship Program. This program, celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, grants college scholarships to outstanding area high school students and marching bands. The Carrousel Parade and the Carrousel Scholarship Program are produced by Carolinas' Carrousel, Inc., an independent, volunteer, non-profit, charitable organization.

About Food Lion

Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., is a company of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG) and operates more than 1,100 supermarkets. The company employs approximately 58,000 associates delivering quality products, low prices and service to customers in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.

About Second Harvest

As part of Feeding America, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina serves 19 counties in North and South Carolina. In FY2011-2012, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina distributed over 38 million pounds of food and essential grocery items to approximately 650 hunger feeding agencies including emergency pantries, soup kitchens, senior programs, shelters and low-income daycares.

About Belk, Inc.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. (www.belk.com) is the nation’s largest privately owned mainline department store company with 303 Belk stores located in 16 Southern states. The company was founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, N.C., and is in the third generation of Belk family leadership. Its belk.com Web site offers a wide assortment of fashion apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family along with top name cosmetics, a wedding registry and a large selection of quality merchandise for the home. To connect with Belk via Facebook, Twitter, blog, mobile phone text messages or by email, go to: Belk Get Connected.