DALLAS, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Reading can help teens makes sense of
things in difficult times, as demonstrated by a panel of young adult
librarians and teens who announced the winner of a national essay program this
week.

Program winner Kylee M. Nielsen of Kennard, Nebraska, discussed how Lance
Armstrong’s book It’s Not About the Bike … My Journey Back to Life helped
her come to terms with her father’s death last year due to cancer. She was
just one of more than 100 teens who spoke out about the impact of reading on
their lives as part of Drive to Read @ your library(TM), a program developed
by Morningstar Foods Inc., makers of Hershey(R)’s Milk, and the American
Library Association (ALA).

Nielsen and her family will speed down to the Homestead Raceway in Miami,
Florida on November 11 to attend the day’s race and meet NASCAR Driver Ward
Burton, who is the spokesperson for the program. Library Director Wendy
Anderson of The Bess Johnson Elkhorn Public Library in Elkhorn, Nebraska, also
will attend the race for sponsoring Nielsen in the program.

The Drive to Read @ your library program called on teens to check out one
of the Best Books for Young Adults for 2001 — selected by librarians through
the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the ALA —
and write a short essay. Teens were asked to describe why they would
recommend the book to a friend and how it was a meaningful or inspiring
selection for today’s teens. Essays were judged on both style and content,
including their thoughtfulness, creativity, clarity and organization.

“Armstrong helps you understand it’s not winning a bike race, or anything
else you may be involved in, that is important,” wrote Nielsen. “It is a
matter of winning at life.”

“We find our heroes in different ways, and Kylee found one in this book.
It was apparent that his story really touched her and validated the fight that
her father had gone through,” said Cindy Welch, Young Adult Specialist at the
Chicago Public Library and a member of the Drive to Read @ your library panel
of judges.

Drive to Read @ your library is the latest program of The Campaign for
America’s Libraries, a five-year public education effort sponsored by the ALA
to remind the public about the value of libraries and librarians in the
21st century.

Drive to Read kicked off at an event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in
August, which was attended by ALA President John W. Berry; Bing Graffunder,
President of Morningstar Foods; Toby Purdy, Morningstar’s Senior Vice
President; and librarians from the Indianapolis area.

Morningstar Foods Inc. is a founding partner in The Campaign for America’s
Libraries. 3M Library Systems, the Center for the Book in the Library of
Congress, the International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions and Major League Baseball are also founding partners.

Morningstar Foods Inc., a subsidiary of Suiza Foods Corporation
(NYSE: SZA), the nation’s leading dairy processor and distributor, produces
and distributes a full line of company-branded and customer-branded products.
Some of Morningstar Foods brands include Hershey(R)’s Milk, International
Delight(R) coffee creamer, Sun Soy(TM) soymilk and Second Nature(R) eggs. For
more information, visit www.morningstarfoods.com .

The American Library Association (ALA) is the voice of America’s libraries
and the millions of people who depend on them. Its 63,000 members are
primarily librarians, but also trustees, publishers and others who support the
work of the association. The mission of the American Library Association is
to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of
library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order
to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

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SOURCE Suiza Foods Corporation

CONTACT: Megan Humphrey of the American Library Association,
+1-312-280-4020; or Julie deVore, +1-314-552-6726, for Hershey’s Milk/