Actor Paul Newman and some of the country's top CEOs are spearheading an effort to encourage companies to give more to charity, the Associated Press reports.

The new Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy is urging corporate America to give at least $15 billion a year to charity, saying the percentage of giving has actually fallen as corporate profits grow in this booming economy.

The organization has seen more than two dozen corporate chief executives -- heads of major companies such as Xerox and Chase Manhattan -- join in the cause, with another 25 expected soon, AP reports.

"The business case is that the communities and the civil society in which we live is something that's absolutely critical to our success as business people. And with all of our advocation of smaller government... the traditional government safety net over the past few years has declined. And someone's got to step in to pick it up," Walter Shipley, chairman of Chase Manhattan, told the AP. "It is our strong belief that it is our responsibility to do that."

Newman will be the group's chairman and national spokesman.

In related news, making sure to put lots of money where his mouth is, the actor's Newman's Own food product company has just passed the $100 million mark in its charitable giving.

The Newman's Own company, established in 1982, gives all aftertax profits from the sales of its food products to charities, including Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with serious diseases.

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