Cascadian Farm® and LÄRABAR® Team Up for New York State Park Trails

ALBANY, NY (09/18/2009)(readMedia)-- A new "Click to Give" initiative to support trails in New York State Parks was announced today by Cascadian Farm. As part of the program, Cascadian Farm, a leading brand of organic foods, will donate $1 to New York State Parks for every supporter who visits www.parkvisitor.com/cascadianfarm and clicks to support trail preservation and promotion at New York State Parks with their comment about why they like New York State trails, including some of the most popular parks such as Letchworth, Green Lakes, Connetquot River Preserve, Minnewaska, Wellesley Island, Allegany, Thacher and more.

At a time when state budgets fall short, funds from the private business sector can help bridge the gap. Like many states across the nation, New York state parks have seen visitors increasingly turn to the affordable vacation and recreation options at State Parks. However, New York State Parks still has a $650 million backlog of projects needed to maintain and repair its facilities and infrastructure.

"The efforts of Cascadian Farm are most welcome and appreciated," said New York State Parks Commissioner Carol Ash. "Trail hiking is one of the most popular attractions drawing visitors to our parks. As we tighten our belts in these tough economic times, I'm grateful for every dollar from our private partners to maintain New York State Park trails and help our visitors better enjoy their adventures."

Park visitors can look for Cascadian Farm granola bars and LÄRABAR fruit and nut bars as part of the New York State Parks initiative. The wholesome snacks are being provided for free to thousands of visitors often upon entry and handed directly to participants at large and small events within the parks. Also available is a new Featured Trails Guide with ten suggested hikes around the state and useful information, such as difficulty, length of hike, elevation and seasonal suggestions. An electronic version of the guide can be found online at www.parkvisitor.com/cascadianfarm. In the guide, visitors will find coupons for Cascadian Farm and LÄRABAR foods. Consumer response to the guides and samples have been overwhelmingly positive.

"The folks at Cascadian Farm and LÄRABAR look for simple ways that we can make a difference, whether it's making wholesome convenient foods that are good for you or helping take care of the world we share," said Tim Goldsmid, marketing manager at Cascadian Farm. "We're excited to be working with the parks to provide visitors helpful information and great-tasting snacks, while also raising money for trail preservation. It feels good to be a part of taking care of the trails people enjoy so much."

The program is valid through November 15, 2009. Cascadian Farm will donate up to a maximum of $25,000 with a guaranteed minimum donation of $15,000. Limit two submissions per household or IP address.

About New York State Parks

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 178 state parks and 35 historic sites. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com.

About Cascadian Farm®

Cascadian Farm is one of the country's leading brands of organic foods, offering more than 80 products from ready-to-eat cereals and granola bars to frozen fruits and vegetables, juice concentrates and fruit spreads. People have enjoyed our great-tasting and convenient organic foods for more than 35 years. Visit www.cascadianfarm.com to find more information on our products, download coupons and learn how every delicious bite is good for you, your family, and the world we share.

About LÄRABAR®

Founded in 2003 by Lara Merriken, LÄRABAR now produces sixteen LÄRABAR brand snack bars and seven JNCALAT brand snack bars. The company is committed to producing simple, whole food products. LÄRABAR products are available at a variety of natural, specialty, and conventional grocers and outdoor lifestyle retailers. For more information, visit www.LARABAR.COM.

About GSG

Government Solutions Group, www.govsolgroup.com, is a unique marketing company that facilitates public-private partnerships for government agencies to help them reduce costs, increase revenue, and improve consumer relations through private partnerships. GSG works with 11 state park systems across the nation by creating and managing win-win partnerships with corporations that benefit the park systems. The company is based in Pasadena, California.

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