*St. Louis Area Foodbank meets all 20 BBB Standards*

June 2005 (St. Louis) -- St. Louis Better Business Bureau (BBB) has adopted a charity seal program to inform donors and encourage greater public confidence in giving. The program allows local charities to publicize their compliance with the BBB's Standards for Charity Accountability.

The new seal program is akin to a "Good Housekeeping Seal" or a "union bug" logo on printed materials. It also is intended to serve as a tool to encourage charities to commit to ethical practices.

"This new seal is being offered in response to a rising number of public inquiries about charities," said Michelle L. Corey, president and C.E.O of the BBB serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. "Especially in the wake of 9/11 and last December's tsunami, individuals want guidance as to where to give. At the same time, many charities want to reassure the public. We are responding to these various needs with this new program."

In 2004, the BBB received 7,500 inquiries from potential local donors.

The program in St. Louis is the same as the one adopted for national and international charities in 2004 by the national Council of Better Business Bureaus. The St. Louis BBB is one of the first to bring the program to the local level.

Under the program, local charities that meet all 20 BBB Standards can apply to the BBB to display a seal online and in their printed solicitation materials. The standards relate to charity governance, effectiveness, finances, fund raising and donor privacy.  Click here to read the Better Business Bureaus' report on the St. Louis Area Foodbank >