Press Release
Mama’s Kitchen and Village Hillcrest Hosts 13th Annual Tree of Life
Remembering Loved Ones Affected By AIDS During the Holiday Season
SAN DIEGO – Mama’s Kitchen, a non-profit meal delivery service dedicated to providing nutritious meals 365 days a year to San Diegans affected by AIDS, will host the 13th annual “Tree of Life” tree lighting ceremony on World AIDS Day 2004. On Wednesday, December 1, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. hundreds of San Diegans will join Mama’s Kitchen, KFMB’s Beth Shelburne, State Senator-Elect Christine Kehoe, San Diego City Councilmembers Toni Atkins and Donna Frye at the Village Hillcrest Retail Center to honor those that have lost their battle with AIDS and to highlight the continuing struggle to find a cure.
“The Tree of Life tree lighting ceremony is a special time for members of our community to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, as well as honor those who continue to live with the epidemic,” said Alberto Cortes, executive director of Mama’s Kitchen.
For the past 13 years, San Diegans from across the county have gathered at the tree lighting ceremony, which this year will include a keynote addresses from State Senator-Elect Christine Kehoe and Councilwomen Toni Atkins and Donna Frye, a special performance by the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego and a candlelight vigil co-sponsored by the San Diego County Office of AIDS Coordination. There will also be a display of AIDS Around the World presented by nonprofit organizations who are collaborating with Mama’s Kitchen on raising awareness about the epidemic during World AIDS Day. On display will be an AIDS quilt comprised of panels created in loving memory of a friend of Mama’s Kitchen. To benefit the clients of Mama’s Kitchen, ornaments will be on sale for $10 each, or two for $15, and can be personalized with a special message before being hung on the tree.
The event is free and open to the public. For further information, please call (619) 233-MAMA (6262) or visit the web site at www.mamaskitchen.org.
About Mama's Kitchen
Mama's Kitchen was founded in 1990 when volunteers from the AIDS Assistance Fund, a food bank for people with AIDS, discovered that many of their clients were becoming too ill to take care of themselves. They realized that a reliable home meal delivery service was needed to ensure that these individuals would continue to receive nutritious food. Today, Mama's Kitchen prepares and delivers three meals a day for every day of the week to about 300 men, women, and children affected by AIDS or other critical illnesses in San Diego County. Mama’s Kitchen is located at 1875 Second Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101. For more information, visit http://www.mamaskitchen.org.
Contact:
Jamie Lynn Sigler, J Public Relations
Direct: 858-395-5264
Kim Julin Guyader, J Public Relations
Direct: 858-693-3605
