ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues and Levy Restaurants, in conjunction with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Food Recovery Program, have donated over 1,500 meals to homeless shelters thus far this season. Locally, the Blues have teamed up with The Bridge (formely CARES Outreach) to facilitate the distribution of the donations which have accumulated 1,965 pounds of food or 1,512 meals.

"The St. Louis Blues are proud to participate in such a worthwhile cause ," said Blues CEO Mike McCarthy. "With the help of Levy Restaurants and the support from the NHL, we are providing many people with meals they would otherwise be unable to afford."

The NHL's Food Recovery Program was launched League-wide in October 2010. Throughout the 2010-11 season, the League's 30 clubs diverted 105 tons of food from landfill, redistributing more than 160,000 meals to local shelters and places of need.

The NHL Food Recovery Program was developed in cooperation with Rock and Wrap It Up!, a non-profit anti-poverty think tank, and will continue for the 2011-12 NHL season and beyond. The NHL RWU! (Rock and Wrap it Up) Program addresses both environmental issues, reducing municipal waste, as well as global humanitarian issues, by combating hunger.

The Bridge (formerly CARES Outreach) began at Centenary United Methodist Church in March 2005 as part of the initiative from the City of St. Louis as it presented its “10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.” Centenary UMC offered its facility as a place where meals could be served to homeless individuals that were prepared in a health inspected and maintained kitchen facility. The Bridge has grown since November 2005 from just a few lunches each week to a daily drop in center currently serving approximately 3000 meals during the 60 hours the doors are open each week.