Checkers, Chiquita Continue I.C.E. Team Community Program

The Charlotte Checkers and Chiquita Brands announced today that they have implemented their I.C.E. Team (Inspiring Community Enrichment) volunteer program for a second consecutive season. Last year’s program resulted in the Checkers, their fans and Chiquita committing more than 1,000 volunteer hours to the Charlotte community.

The program, which runs throughout the summer, will serve several non-profit organizations in the Charlotte area including Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, Ace & TJ’s Grin Kids, the Humane Society of Charlotte and more through the combined efforts of Checkers and Chiquita employees. Key events on this year’s schedule include Bud Light’s Do Good Have Fun cleanup of Park Road Park in July and WSOC’s School Tools uptown kickoff event in August.

“The Checkers staff is excited to continue the partnership with Chiquita throughout the greater Charlotte area,” said Amber Sersen, the Checkers’ Manager of Community Relations and Fan Development. “We are enthusiastic in building upon our efforts from last year and look forward to contributing to even more deserving individuals and organizations in the area.”

“At Chiquita, improving lives in the communities we serve is part of who we are as a company. It’s even part of our purpose statement,” said Thomas Federl, Director of Global Community Relations for Chiquita. “Partnering with the Checkers for the ICE Program helps us do that in Charlotte community in a big way. We are looking forward to the rest of the events that are planned and the impact that will last beyond the summer months.”

This year’s program began with a Habitat for Humanity build, one of several scheduled in this year’s program, in which volunteers from the Checkers and Chiquita helped restore a local home. Recaps and video of other events will be posted to the Checkers’ website through the duration of the program.

The Checkers, recently named winners of the AHL’s Excellence for Community Service award for the second time in their four years in the league, raised more than $440,000 in monetary and in-kind donations during the 2013-14 season. They have now totaled more than $3 million since Michael Kahn took ownership of the team in 2006.

ABOUT CHIQUITA BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC. Chiquita Brands (NYSE: CQB) is a leading international marketer and distributor of nutritious, high-quality fresh and value-added food products - from energy-rich bananas, blends of convenient green salads, other fruits to healthy snacking products. The company markets its healthy, fresh products under the Chiquita® and Fresh Express® premium brands and other related trademarks. With annual revenues of more than $3 billion, Chiquita employs approximately 20,000 people and has operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.chiquita.com/.