Tennis Hall of Fame and NFL Org. Help MLK Center Combat Hunger

The now has an additional $10,000 to help combat hunger in Newport County.

The center received the donation on Tuesday from Taste of the NFL, a Minneapolis-based group that raises awareness and money for hunger relief organizations.The organization is awarding donations this year to hunger relief organizations chosen by its Board of Directors. Director Christopher E. Clouser, who also serves as chairman of the , selected the MLK Center.

“Thanks to the generosity of Taste of the NFL, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is pleased to be able to support our neighbors here in Newport,” Clouser said in a release. “Every little bit can help, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center does a tremendous job of carefully converting donations to maximize food for the hungry. They do tremendous and vitally important work, and we are proud to support this effort.”

The MLK Center offers the only daily meal site in Newport, as well as its food pantry that gives recipients fresh produce each week. Last summer, more than 35,000 pounds of fresh produce were distributed to approximately 225 families. The center also distributes holiday meal baskets, with last year’s distribution providing 13,124 meals. About 70 percent of the food available in the pantry comes from food drives and local donations.

“No one should have to choose between rent and food, or medicine and food, or heat and food but, sadly, many in Newport County face that struggle," MLK Center Executive Director Marilyn Warren said in the release. "Generous donations like this help us to solve that dilemma for many people."

Taste of the NFL was founded in 1992. Since its inception, it has distributed in excess of $11 million.