America's Second Harvest, The Steak n Shake Company and MasterCard International Help Feed Hungry Families in 18 States 402,304 STEAKBURGER(TM) patties donated to 68 food banks - more than double last year's donation INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- America's Second Harvest, The Nation's Food Bank Network, and MasterCard International announce the donation of 402,304 Steak n Shake STEAKBURGER(TM) patties to help feed the hungry in 18 states. Sixty-eight America's Second Harvest food banks are receiving STEAKBURGER(TM) patties thanks to the success of MasterCard International and Steak n Shake's recent TAKHOMACARD(TM) gift card program. As part of the program, the 425-store restaurant chain agreed to donate one STEAKBURGER(TM) patty to America's Second Harvest for every $5 in TAKHOMACARD(TM) gift card purchases. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000606/STEAKLOGO ) Michael Halligan, Senior Vice President of Food Sourcing and Logistics at America's Second Harvest, said, "Thanks to the tens of thousands who purchased gift cards during the holiday season, and to the generosity of MasterCard International, Steak n Shake, and Steak n Shake associates, we are providing an important source of protein in 402,304 meals to help Americans in need. Feeding the hungry is an enormous challenge for our country and corporations like Steak n Shake and MasterCard International are making a difference in the battle to make sure all Americans are adequately fed every day." Peter Dunn, President and CEO of The Steak n Shake Company and an America's Second Harvest Board Member, said, "The management and associates of Steak n Shake want to give back to the communities that have made us so successful. We hope our donation of STEAKBURGER(TM) patties will spur others, corporations and individuals alike, to consider giving whatever they can to help feed the hungry. "With a U.S. poverty rate above 11 percent, many Americans go hungry," Dunn said. "Steak n Shake recognizes our donation is only a small step in relation to the size of this challenge nationally, but we are proud to do what we can to help feed Americans in need." America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network is the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a national Network of more than 200 regional Member food banks and food-rescue programs, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The Network secures and distributes nearly two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. The America's Second Harvest Network supports approximately 50,000 feeding agencies nationwide, including food pantries, soup kitchens, women's shelters, and Kids Cafes. These local organizations provide emergency food assistance to 23 million hungry Americans, including more than nine million children and nearly three million seniors each year. Steak n Shake is a full-service, casual dining restaurant serving a core menu of its famous STEAKBURGER(TM) sandwiches, thin 'n crispy french fries, and old-fashioned, hand-dipped real milk Milk Shakes, chili, home style soups, fresh salads, a variety of desserts and breakfast. All of the food is prepared to the guest's order and served by friendly well-trained associates. Steak n Shake restaurants feature full-service dining areas, counter service and drive-thru windows and are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MasterCard International is a leading global payments solutions company that provides a broad variety of innovative services in support of our global members' credit, deposit access, electronic cash, business-to-business and related payment programs. MasterCard International manages a family of well- known, widely accepted payment card brands including MasterCard(R), Maestro(R) and Cirrus(R) and serves financial institutions, consumers and businesses in over 210 countries and territories. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless(R) advertising campaign is now seen in 97 countries and in 47 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For more information on how to help your local food bank, visit http://www.secondharvest.org/ or call (800) 771-2303. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000606/STEAKLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: The Steak n Shake Company CONTACT: Heather Boody or Teresa Shewman of Borshoff Johnson Matthews, Office: +1-317-631-6400, or Mobile: +1-317-698-9191, or +1-317-313-5646 Web site: http://www.steaknshake.com/ http://www.secondharvest.org/

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