(photo by Steve Pearce)

Shoreline, Wash. (September 25, 2009) - Food Lifeline, Washington's largest hunger relief organization, honored the recipients of the 2009 Ending Hunger Awards at its 12th annual Bag Hunger Luncheon on Thursday, September 17 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Seattle. The event was co-emceed by celebrity chefs and Food Lifeline board members Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau.

Ending Hunger Awards went to the following individuals/companies:
Outstanding Volunteer Award - Church of Scientology
Outstanding Individual Award - Director of Public Affairs at QFC, Kristin Maas
Outstanding Foundation Donor Award - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Outstanding Food Donor Award - SeaShare
Raising Hunger Awareness Award - The Miller|Hull Partnership

"SeaShare and Food Lifeline have a long history of working together to provide nutrition to the Western Washington food bank network," said Jim Harmon, SeaShare. "Having an experienced distribution team at Food Lifeline allows SeaShare to focus on sourcing donations of high-protein seafood. We appreciate the work Food Lifeline does every day in our communities, and we look forward to future partnerships that will help feed hungry Americans."

SeaShare's relationship with Food Lifeline began in 1995 and continues today with the donation of hundreds of thousands of pounds of high protein seafood each year. Food Lifeline distributes in 17 counties in Western Washington to nearly 600,000 people.