The New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Hornets announced today that the teams will host two raffles to form a relief fund in the wake of Hurricane Isaac and the ensuing damage caused to the Gulf South. The announcement was made by Saints and Hornets Owner/Chairman of the Board Tom Benson.

"As we have shown before in trying times, we will band together and help our neighbors when they need support," Benson said. "Nearly everyone that lives in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast were negatively impacted in some way, shape or form by Hurricane Isaac. While we are excited for the start of the 2012 season, it is with a heavy heart that we witness what our neighbors are dealing with, whether it is significant damage to their homes, disruption of employment or having to leave their homes because the storm was so destructive."

The Saints package will include a suite for 20 people for the Sept. 23 match-up against the Kansas City Chiefs with catering provided by Centerplate. The winner will also receive 20 pre-game sideline passes for the game.

The Hornets package will feature two floor seats and a pre-game player meet-and-greet for the Nov. 7 game against Philadelphia, as well as VIP parking and two courtside club passes that include food and beverage. In addition to taking in a Hornets game, the winner will also receive two tickets to the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, Texas. The All-Star Weekend ticket package will feature the 62nd NBA All-Star Game, as well All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm. Saturday night's festivities will include a skills showcase comprised of Haier Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players, and NBA legends; the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and the Sprite Slam Dunk contest. The winner will also receive a two-night stay in Houston courtesy of the Four Seasons Hotel.

Tickets are $2.00 with a minimum purchase of five. Raffle tickets for the Saints package can be purchased at http://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffle/saints-hurricane-isaac-relief-raffle and tickets for the Hornets package can be purchased at http://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffle/hornets-hurricane-isaac-relief-raffle.

The deadline to buy raffle tickets for the Saints package will be Wednesday, Sept. 19, while the final date to purchase tickets for the Hornets package will be Thursday, Oct. 25.

In addition to the raffle, the Saints and Second Harvest Food Bank will host a food drive at this weekend's home opener against the Washington Redskins. Fans can donate items at the upper level exterior concourses at the entrances of Gates A, C, E, and G, as well as Gate A Ground's East Island. Donations will also be taken at each entrance of Champions Square. Fans can also make monetary donations at all food donation locations.

Hurricane Isaac, a slow-moving tropical system, made landfall on August 30, 2012 and severely impacted the Gulf Coast region, including New Orleans, for the better part of 48 hours. Neighboring communities of New Orleans, such as Plaquemines Parish, LaPlace, Braithwaite and Madisonville, among others, were particularly negatively impacted by Hurricane Isaac.

"The Gulf South region has demonstrated its strength and camaraderie during tough times," said Saints and Hornets Owner/Vice Chairman of the Board Rita Benson LeBlanc. "Following Hurricane Isaac, there is a need to help ease the struggles of those in the region and we are committed to helping those affected recover and maintain the ability to provide for themselves and their families."

In recent years, the New Orleans Saints, under Benson's direction, have raised significant relief monies for the victims of Hurricane Katrina (2005), as well as those affected by an oil spill in the nearby Gulf of Mexico (2010) that resulted in the team raffling off an official Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl ring, with over $1,000,000 dollars being distributed to various charities.

DETAILS OF THE HURRICANE ISAAC RELIEF FUND RAFFLE

*The official raffles, which feature $2.00 tickets, will present the opportunity for the winners to receive one of the below packages

Saints Package:

· Suite for September 23rd game against the Kansas City Chiefs (20 tickets)

· Twenty (20) Pregame Field Passes (visitor's sideline only)

· Catering Provided by Centerplate

Hornets Package:

· Two (2) Floor Seats for November 7th game against Philadelphia

· One (1) VIP Parking Pass

· Player Meet-and-Greet prior to game

· Two (2) Courtside Club Passes (food and beverage included)

· Two (2) Tickets to the 2013 NBA All Star Weekend in Houston

· Two-nights (Saturday and Sunday) at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston

*Winners will be announced on the final day of entry for each raffle.

*Entry Deadline – Saints Package: 10 a.m. CDT; Wednesday, September 19, 2012

*Entry Deadline – Hornets Package: 10 a.m. CDT; Thursday, October 25

*Tickets are just $2.00 each (minimum purchase of five tickets)

Those purchasing raffle tickets will be helping the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Hornets in their efforts to help those affected by the Hurricane Isaac. Tickets start at just $2.00 each. The patented concepts and technologies of Celebrities for Charity Foundation ("CFC") and net.Raffle.orgs are being used to conduct this raffle and tickets are only available online at the web sites: http://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffle/saints-hurricane-isaac-relief-raffle (Saints package) and http://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffle/hornets-hurricane-isaac-relief-raffle (Hornets package)

While you must be 18 years of age, or older, to purchase a ticket, which the entrant will need to prove prior to being certified as the winner, CFC's ordering process and rules allow the entrant to gift their tickets to another person, which may or may not be a minor. However, it is important to note that regardless of whether or not the entrant gifts his or her tickets to another party, the entrant will still need to prove that he or she is 18 years of age, or older, prior to the ticket holder being certified as the winner. Furthermore, it should also be noted that neither the entrant nor the gift recipient, if tickets are gifted, need to be present at the drawing to win, as the winner will be notified.