December 30, 2002
SAFEWAY TO CONTRIBUTE $93,000 TO SUPPORT
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
Donation Includes $35,000 Grant To Greater Southeast Hospital
Lanham, Md. --
Safeway's Eastern Division will present a contribution of $93,654 to For This
Cause, a Washington, D.C.-based community organization promoting breast cancer
awareness and education, on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium of
Greater Southeast Hospital in Washington. The donation is a result of a
month-long, in-store fundraising campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness month
supported by Safeway customers and employees in the mid-Atlantic region that
generated more than $185,000.
For This Cause was selected by Safeway as this year's Washington-area
beneficiary for its 2002 breast cancer campaign (the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
at Johns Hopkins University was chosen for the Baltimore region). The
contribution to For This Cause will include a $35,000 grant to Greater Southeast
Hospital to fund breast cancer screening services for the uninsured and
underinsured who are not covered by existing programs, an outreach coordinator,
and patient support services.
The Eastern Division's fundraising effort was part of the company's nationwide
campaign that raised $2.2 million this year to benefit breast cancer
organizations around the country in the markets that Safeway serves. All 135
Eastern division stores participated by seeking donations from customers using
bar-coded slips positioned at each cash register or through direct interaction
with shoppers as they entered. In addition, employees demonstrated their support
by purchasing pink t-shirts that could be worn as part of their uniform during
October to generate awareness for the program. All t-shirt sales proceeds were
added to the contribution.
This was the second consecutive year that Safeway has supported breast cancer
awareness and research with its in-store fundraising program. Last year, the
Eastern division provided a donation to the Adaline A Beard Foundation of Silver
Spring, Md. The company has conducted a similar effort to support prostate
cancer during the last two years.
Safeway's philanthropy has been recognized by both Fortune Magazine (as
America's Most Admired Food and Drug Retailer) and Worth Magazine (ranked No. 16
among the most charitable companies in the country). The company contributed
more than $80 million in donations to local charities last year including a $5
million contribution to the American Red Cross to assist in relief efforts at
the Pentagon and in New York.
Locally, Safeway's Club Card for Education Program has provided funds for public
and private schools to purchase educational equipment and supplies of their
choice during its 10-year history, raising nearly $13 million. This year's Club
Card program, now powered by eScrip, has been expanded to schools, churches and
non-profit organizations as benefactors. The enhanced campaign now provides cash
contributions to the charities on a monthly basis instead of free equipment.
Safeway operates nearly 1,800 stores in the United States and Canada with a
total workforce of approximately 200,000 employees. The company's Eastern
Division employs more than 11,000 people and operates 136 stores, including 74
in Maryland, 44 in Virginia, 16 in the District of Columbia and one in Delaware.
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Contact: Greg TenEyck at (301) 918-7077 or Craig Muckle at (301) 918-6803