MILWAUKEE (Apr. 19, 2018) – Cousins Subs® and the Milwaukee Bucks work to Block Out Hunger in Wisconsin with a donation of $22,150 and 4,092 pounds of food to support pantries statewide.

Wrapping up a third year of Block Out Hunger, this Wisconsin-based duo joined forces with Hunger Task Force to post up against food insecurity throughout the state—both on and off the court.

On the court, Cousins honored the Bucks’ 50th anniversary, by donating $50 to Hunger Task Force for every blocked shot the Bucks had throughout the team’s regular season—a total that amounts to 443 blocks and a $22,150 donation. Off the court, throughout March Cousins’ Wisconsin locations collected 4,092 pounds of healthy nonperishable food items for 40 local pantries across the state. Each dollar raised and pound of food collected directly supports emergency food supplies at Hunger Task Force and its affiliated pantries statewide.

“Hunger is an issue that every community faces and one that we can Block Out by coming together and supporting our neighbors in need,” said Justin McCoy, vice president of marketing at Cousins Subs. “We are grateful for the good will of our partners the Milwaukee Bucks and Hunger Task Force and inspired by the compassion shown by all who joined us in the fight against hunger. Together, we will make it better for those in our local communities.”

Since the campaign’s inception in 2016, Cousins and the Milwaukee Bucks raised a total of $51,815 for Hunger Task Force, and the local sub shop’s Wisconsin restaurants collected 14,441 pounds of food, which stayed directly in those communities.

“Once again, we’ve seen the benefits of partnering with Cousins and Hunger Task Force to help Block Out Hunger in Wisconsin,” said Matt Pazaras, senior vice president of business development and strategy for the Bucks. “We’re thrilled with the results of this year’s campaign, and thanks to Cousins and Hunger Task Force, we’re able to make a real difference in the community in a very important area.”

Cousins and the Bucks chose Hunger Task Force as the beneficiary of the Block Out Hunger campaign because it’s Milwaukee’s only Free & Local food bank, is Wisconsin’s leading anti-hunger organization and has a strong network of partnering pantries. The nonprofit collects nearly 10 million pounds of food a year and delivers it to 76 food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters, which combined, serve more than 50,000 people each month.

“The Block Out Hunger campaign is distinctive because of its reach statewide – helping make a difference for hungry families in communities throughout Wisconsin,” said Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force. “After our third consecutive year, we’re excited to see that the campaign continues to grow, and we thank Cousins Subs and the Milwaukee Bucks for their dedication and support to raise awareness about hunger in a huge way!”

With more than 255,000 Wisconsin residents facing hunger, campaigns such as Block Out Hunger are imperative in the fight against hunger in our local communities. On average, there are nearly 18,000 monthly household visits to Hunger Task Force-affiliated food pantries and 43,645 monthly meals served at Hunger Task Force-affiliated meal sites.

For a closer look at how Cousins Subs and the Milwaukee Bucks helped to Block Out Hunger this season, visit cousinssubs.com/blockouthunger.

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ABOUT COUSINS SUBS

Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs®, a family-owned, fast casual sub shop established in 1972 by Bill Specht and his cousin, is driven by the mission to Believe in Better – both in the quality of food it serves and in the communities it supports. Cousins Subs and its franchisees operate more than 100 sub sandwich shops throughout Wisconsin and Arizona, providing guests with quality deli-fresh and made to order grilled subs using only the freshest ingredients on its signature bread baked daily. For more information, visit www.cousinssubs.com. You can also find Cousins Subs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT HUNGER TASK FORCE

Hunger Task Force believes that every person has a right to adequate food obtained with dignity. We work to prevent hunger and malnutrition by providing food to people in need today and by promoting social policies to achieve a hunger free community tomorrow. For more information, visit HungerTaskForce.org.