Toronto, Ontario and Birmingham, Alabama – 29 December 2014 – The Kirchner Group through its Kirchner Food Fellowship Program is honored to be a partner institution and proud supporter of the Hunger Solutions Institute’s, Presidents’ Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security, event that was hosted at the United Nations on December 9th.

The Kirchner Food Fellows as well as the program’s leadership attended the historic event where twenty-six presidents and other senior administrators – representing a consortium of more than 60 universities worldwide –signed the Presidents’ Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security. This pledge creates a blueprint for higher education’s role in waging and winning the fight against hunger and malnutrition. By signing, university leaders are agreeing to make food and nutrition security a priority on campus.

“Universities are the moral and social conscience of the world,” said Alastair Summerlee, Executive Director of the Kirchner Food Fellowship, past President of the University of Guelph and chair of the Hunger Solutions Institute Board of Advisors. “I believe we can beat hunger as early as 2020 if we put our minds to it.”

About Kirchner Food Fellowship
The Kirchner Food Fellowship believes it is vital for the next generation of leaders to understand, get involved and aid in funding young entrepreneurial businesses which positively impact global food security. The Kirchner Food Fellowship will provide an opportunity for an elite group of student leaders to be engaged in investment decisions for agriculture-oriented businesses with ground-breaking technologies which can provide long-term sustainable solutions, both environmentally and economically. The students will receive high-level mentoring from networks of investors from across North America. They will also work directly with the Kirchner Group leadership team and its network of thought leaders. www.fundthefood.com
Alastair Summerlee
Executive Director
Kirchner Food Fellowship Program
519.824.4120 x 52986
asummerlee@fundthefood.com

About Kirchner Group
The Kirchner Group believes that every business, and every portfolio of businesses, can be made more valuable and that none should become valueless, regardless of the circumstances. Kirchner Group’s proprietary platform is built on the premise that pairing deep domain expertise with process experts provides superior results. Kirchner Group has provided traditional merchant banking services since 1985 and offers advisory, operational and transactional support to companies as well as asset management services for institutional investors. The group’s clients and partners range from promising entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies and their investors. Kirchner Group also manages assets for some of the largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors in the world.

Kirchner Group’s Agriculture and Food team has more than 95 years of collective experience as operators, transaction experts and investors in the sector. Kirchner Group founded its agricultural social impact arm, Food Security Group, in 2011. www.kirchnergroup.com

Steve Dauphin
Managing Partner
Food Security Group
205.602.9845
sdauphin@fundthefood.com