The 2009 Pistons Care Telethon, which culminated in a 17-hour telethon day and telecast of the team’s game on March 11, raised more than $450,000 in pledges to benefit Feed The Children (FTC), with 100% of proceeds going to families in critical need of food and basic necessities throughout the state of Michigan. The pledge total will allow FTC to help sustain 25,000 families with food and personal care items. The truckloads will begin with truck deliveries to Detroit Rescue Mission, Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit, ChildHelp USA in Southfield, the Macomb Food Program in Mt. Clemens, Orchard’s Children’s Services in Flint, Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Saginaw and the Salvation Army in Jackson and others through December 2009. For more information about FTC, please visit www.feedthechildren.org. Although the Telethon took place on March 11, a number of fund-raising efforts took place in the days and weeks prior when employees of Palace Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) began a variety of activities and reached out to friends, neighbors and clients to ask for donations and put together programs to raise funds. Others contributing to the cause in special ways included several area businesses who raised funds for the Telethon by hosting Corporate Jeans Days. Student fundraising initiatives took place in 62 school classrooms throughout the state in a special service learning philanthropy program run by the LEAGUE Michigan. Mark Ridley donated his Comedy Castle for a “Night of Laughs†and six area comedians donated their services to benefit the charity.