SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Kellogg Co. has recently donated thousands of boxes of cereal with Michael Phelps' picture on them to the San Francisco Food Bank.
Kellogg last month declined to renew its endorsement deal with the Olympic swimming star after a photo surfaced showing him smoking from a marijuana pipe.
Food bank executive director Paul Ash says he doesn't know specifically why the cereal was donated. Kellogg officials responded to questions Wednesday with an e-mail saying the company routinely donates food that is nearing the end of its shelf life but still good.
Either way, Ash is glad to have the items, which he says can be hard to come by.
Kellogg's decision not to renew Phelps' deal was not without controversy when it was announced in February. Legions of marijuana advocates urged a boycott of Kellogg, including all of its popular munchies, for deciding to cut ties with Phelps.
The leader of one of the biggest legalize-pot organizations, the Marijuana Policy Project, called Kellogg's action "hypocritical and disgusting," and said he'd never seen his membership so angry, with more than 2,300 of them signing an online petition.
"Kellogg's had no problem signing up Phelps when he had a conviction for drunk driving, an illegal act that could actually have killed someone," said Rob Kampia, the group's executive director. "To drop him for choosing to relax with a substance that's safer than beer is an outrage, and it sends a dangerous message to young people."
Also urging a boycott were the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Drug Policy Alliance. They encouraged their members to contact Kellogg to vent their views.
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