Morgan Stanley Gives Thanks By Giving Back to Local Community

More than 40 volunteers partner with the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank to provide food for Los Angeles County's neediest children

The week before Thanksgiving, more than 40 Los Angeles-based Morgan Stanley employees gathered at the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank to fill hundreds of backpacks in an effort to combat children's hunger in Los Angeles County.  Morgan Stanley is partnering with the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank as part of their Fill the Plate program, a nationwide initiative to combat children's hunger. 

"Morgan Stanley is happy to partner with the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank to ensure that children in Los Angeles County have access to healthy, nutritious meals, especially during the holiday season," stated Robert Perry, managing director, Los Angeles Metro Region for Morgan Stanley Smithy Barney.  "As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we are proud to renew our commitment to an important part of our heritage: advocating on behalf of children's health."

More than 60 percent of children in Los Angeles County receive free or reduced price meals at school.  The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank's BackPack Program provides children with backpacks full of nutritious food that they can take home over the weekend - when they are most at risk of hunger.  The backpacks will be delivered to children at 7 elementary schools in the Los Angeles area.

"With the downturn in the economy, many parents have lost jobs or are seeing less income coming into the home and this has put more kids at risk of hunger,"  said Michael Flood, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank.  "Support from MSSB's Fill the Plate program will help many children through our BackPack Program and increase the amount of fresh produce we can distribute to those in need."

Morgan Stanley has committed $5 million dollars to its national Fill the Plate <http://www.morganstanley.com/about/press/articles/225059d0-bb90-11df-9911-3958cfb8b586.html>  program, which is dedicated to employing innovative solutions to ending hunger among our neediest children.  Along with expanding the reach of the BackPack program, Morgan Stanley will also work to implement the program during the summer and support an evaluation of its long-term impact.  Fill the Plate also includes an investment in the National Produce Program to increase access to fresh produce and combat childhood obesity by promoting consumption of nutritious foods. 

 About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services.  The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 42 countries.  Through its Global Alliance for Children's Health, the Firm is dedicated to improving the lives and welfare of the world's' youngest citizens.  For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com <http://www.morganstanley.com>  or www.morganstanley.com/globalcitizen <http://www.morganstanley.com/globalcitizen> .

 About the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank has served the residents of Los Angeles County for 37 years. The Foodbank provides food for nearly 900 member agency sites including abused and abandoned children homes, battered women shelters, senior centers, local food pantries, soup kitchens, AIDS hospices and more. In 2009, volunteers <http://www.lafoodbank.org/get-involved/volunteer/information.aspx> , financial supporters <http://www.lafoodbank.org/get-involved/donate-funds.aspx> , and product donors <http://www.lafoodbank.org/get-involved/donate-food/hold-a-food-drive.aspx>  made it possible for the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank to distribute 54 million pounds of food for the hungry in Los Angeles County.

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