Taco Bell(R) Hosts "Reality Check Challenge" 2008 with Help from Stars of MTV's The Hills

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Taco Bell® joined Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt for the second consecutive year in an effort to raise awareness of global hunger. “Reality Check Challenge” 2008, which was held at a Los Angeles-area Taco Bell restaurant, in conjunction with World Hunger Relief Movement, is part of a larger global hunger-relief campaign by Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands Inc., to raise funds for The World Food Programme.

For the event, Heidi and Spencer served up Taco Bell fare to customers visiting the Taco Bell® restaurant, took pictures with and signed autographs for fans in attendance, and invited customers to join in the effort to alleviate world hunger by donating at all participating domestic Taco Bell locations. Donations for the World Hunger Giving Cards begin at $1 and all proceeds raised in the U.S. go directly to The Friends of World Food Programme to help combat global hunger. At the conclusion of the event, a $10,000 donation was made by Taco Bell to the World Food Programme in Heidi and Spencer’s name.

“The reality is that hunger is a staggering problem and is responsible for more deaths each year than war, malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined, “ said Greg Creed, president, Taco Bell Corp. “Even though this is an epidemic of global proportions, people can do something about it. I encourage everyone to get involved in the ‘Reality Check Challenge’ and donate to this year’s World Hunger Relief Movement. A dollar donation will help feed four people stricken by hunger. You can make that difference.”

Prior to “Reality Check Challenge” 2008 and as part of World Hunger Relief Movement, Heidi and Spencer joined Taco Bell last week at Los Angeles’s Union Rescue Mission to serve food to the hungry and homeless in the “Skid Row” area of downtown. During this visit, the couple spent three hours helping feed hundreds of men, women and children stricken by the effects of hunger. At the conclusion of the visit, a $15,000 donation was made by Taco Bell to the mission in Heidi and Spencer’s name.

“Heidi and I know the importance of bringing awareness to this global problem, and are extremely grateful to partner with Taco Bell and the World Food Programme for the second straight year,” said Spencer Pratt. “Last year, Taco Bell and Yum restaurants raised more than $16 million globally, and our goal is to help surpass that number for 2008.”

About Taco Bell Corp.

Taco Bell Corp. (“Taco Bell”), a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, signature quesadillas, Grilled Stuft Burritos, nachos, and other specialty items such as Crunchwrap Supreme®, in addition to the 79-89-99 Why Pay More™ Value Menu. Taco Bell serves more than 36.8 million consumers each week in nearly 5,600 restaurants in the U.S.

About the Friends of World Food Programme (Friends of WFP)

Friends of WFP is a U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to building support for the World Food Program (WFP) and other hunger relief efforts. WFP is the largest international food aid organization in the world and the United Nations’ frontline agency in the fight against hunger. For more information, visit www.friendsofwfp.org.

For more information about world hunger relief, please visit www.fromhungertohope.com.

Taco Bell Corp.
Rob Poetsch
949-863-3915
rob.poetsch@tacobell.com
or
Cohn & Wolfe
Rick Rhodes / Rob Novickas
310-967-2900
Rick_Rhodes@cohnwolfe.com
Rob_Novickas@cohnwolfe.com