Racing for Books!; Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories® and Driver Bobby Labonte Rev Up to Get Books to Kids

Business Wire, Sept 15, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS -- Cheerios to donate 43 books for every lap completed in last 10 races for a possible GRAND TOTAL of more than 135,000 books!

During the final 10 NEXTEL races of the season, Cheerios(R) Spoonfuls of Stories(R) and Bobby Labonte, the driver of the Cheerios #43 Dodge, are giving people another reason to cheer, as they kick off a Race for BOOKS! With every lap Labonte completes, Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories will donate 43 books to kids in need across the country through nonprofit partner First Book(R). If Labonte completes all the 3,227 possible laps, Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories and First Book will distribute more than 135,000 books to disadvantaged children.

The first Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories "Race for Books" will kick off September 17 at the New Hampshire Speedway in Loudan, NH, and run through the final 10 races of the season. The effort will help call attention to the importance of reading for kids and the need to get books to children who may not have them. In the U.S., more than 60 percent of low-income families have no books in their homes for children.

"I am excited to be involved with the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program because books are such an important part of a child's life," says Labonte. "Cheerios has built a great track record with this program over the past five years, getting books to millions of kids. I've got two children myself, and I truly believe that the gift of books is something every child deserves. It's sad to think some kids don't have books available to them, and I'm aiming to complete all 3,227 laps so we can get as many books as possible to those kids!"

"We are thrilled to have Bobby as part of the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories team," said Ricardo Fernandez, marketing manager for Cheerios. "We're glad to be able to use the excitement around racing to help raise awareness about children and reading, and - most importantly - get books into the hands of kids who need them."

Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories will announce how many books Labonte has helped raise through the Race for Books following the last race, which will take place November 19 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

This is the fifth year of the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program, and in addition to the 43 books-per-lap Labonte will help raise for children in need, Cheerios is also giving away over FIVE MILLION books free in boxes of Cheerios cereal, on shelves from fall 2006 through early spring 2007. Cheerios is also working with First Book to donate a year's worth of books to each child participating in one of 50 selected reading programs across the country.

As of this fall, Cheerios, through the Spoonfuls of Stories program, will have donated more than $2 million to First Book (www.firstbook.org), and given more than 25 million books to children free inside boxes of Cheerios cereal. For more information on the Race for Books and Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories, see www.cheerios.com.

ABOUT CHEERIOS

Cheerios, America's No. 1 cereal, debuted in 1941 as Cheerioats. The nation's first ready-to-eat oat cereal has since become one of the most trusted and recognized brands in America. In fact, one of every 10 boxes of cereal sold in America is a box of Cheerios. General Mills' popular franchise includes Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, MultiGrain Cheerios, Berry Burst Cheerios and Yogurt Burst Cheerios. Cheerios also has a publishing division that includes the popular Cheerios Play Books and other activity books. For more information, go to www.cheerios.com.

ABOUT FIRST BOOK

First Book is an international nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Through hundreds of local Advisory Boards, the First Book National Book Bank, and the First Book Marketplace, the organization provides an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs. First Book has provided brand new books to children in need in thousands of communities nationwide. For more information about First Book, please visit www.FirstBook.org or call 866-393-1222.

Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, MultiGrain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Berry Burst Cheerios and Yogurt Burst Cheerios are trademarks of General Mills.