Detroit Pistons to Host 2009 Pistons Care Telethon Benefiting Feed the Children on Wednesday, March 11

The 2009 Pistons Care Telethon, benefiting Feed The Children, will take place on Wednesday, March 11. The Detroit Pistons are devoting the entire day, including their game and their broadcast, to raise money for charity. The event will begin early in the morning with radio and television broadcasts taking place at The Palace and will run throughout the day. The event culminates with the Pistons hosting the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m., broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit.

With Michigan being ground zero in our national economic downturn, the fight against poverty and hunger is harder than ever. This year’s telethon benefiting FTC will dedicate all net proceeds to support Michigan residents in critical need throughout the state. The team, and the entire Palace Sports & Entertainment organization, is asking for the support of everyone in the Pistons community.

Donations can be made immediately by visiting www.pistons.com and clicking on the “DONATE NOW” button, calling 877-DEP-2009 or texting DEP to 90999 for an automatic $5 donation. Online donations will be accepted until March 11. Donors interested in participating on the day of the telethon will be provided a toll free number to call throughout the day. To learn more on interactive fund-raising programs that allows individuals, businesses, schools or churches to get involved, visit the Pistons team website.

“We are pleased to be supporting Feed The Children with this year’s telethon. Not only is it an exemplary organization, its also possesses the infrastructure to provide statewide coverage to attain our goal - to reach people in large quantities with basic needs,” said Tom Wilson, President and CEO of Palace Sports & Entertainment.

“Our state and our residents have been hit harder than anyone with the economic issues facing all of us,” continued Wilson. “Day by day it is becoming increasingly apparent that people are struggling to provide the most basic of needs for themselves and their families such as food and personal care items.”

Last year’s inaugural Pistons Care Telethon benefiting Make-A-Wish raised more than $480,000.

FTC is a non-profit relief organization. Through its relationships with distributors, FTC has the ability to stretch donated dollars to reach more people. Every $7,000 raised during the telethon will fill a truck with food and personal care items valued at $30,000+, enough to supplement 400 families of four for up to 10-14 days. The charity has several established distribution centers that deliver trucks to more than 40 established distribution points across the state of Michigan. For more information about FTC, please visit www.feedthechildren.org.

Fox Sports Detroit is actively involved in promoting the telethon by ads promoting the event and the network is supporting the team to ensure its telecast of the Pistons vs. Knicks game on March 11 will be devoted to the telethon. Throughout the telecast and in the arena on game night, representatives from the Pistons community will ask fans to call and pledge. Sponsors will present their donations and the Pistons will introduce Feed The Children storylines throughout the game.

National City Corporation, one of the nation’s largest financial holding companies, is the presenting sponsor for the Detroit Pistons. For more information about National City, please visit www.nationalcity.com.