Ralphs, Food 4 Less Raise $177,000 for Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Programs

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to the generosity of their customers and team members, supermarket partners Ralphs and Food 4 Less today announced that they raised $177,300.66 to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure® affiliates in the communities their stores serve through a breast cancer fundraising program held at their stores from August 31 to November 7, 2009.

Ralphs and Food 4 Less will donate the funds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® affiliates in California, Las Vegas and Chicago.

The success of the Komen fundraising campaign was the result of customers and team members joining together in making donations to help in the fight to find a cure for breast cancer. The fundraising campaign ran from August 31 through November 7, at all Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores in Southern California, southern Nevada, Illinois and Indiana, and Foods Co stores in central and northern California.

"The overwhelming support we received throughout our fundraising campaign only strengthens our commitment to work toward the day when a cure for breast cancer is found. Our donation in excess of $177,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® reflects the spirit of giving shown by our customers and team members," said Mike Donnelly, President of Ralphs Supermarkets.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® affiliates benefiting from the fall fundraising campaign are:

• Komen Central Valley (Fresno)
• Komen Chicago
• Komen Inland Empire (Temecula)
• Komen Las Vegas
• Komen Los Angeles
• Komen Orange County
• Komen Sacramento
• Komen San Diego
• Komen San Francisco

"Supporting breast cancer research, treatment and awareness is an important priority at Food 4 Less and Ralphs," said Dave Hirz, President of Food 4 Less/Foods Co. "The funds raised for our local Susan G. Komen for the Cure® affiliates give us an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on breast cancer treatment and research programs in the communities where our customers and team members live and work."

Ralphs and Food 4 Less are leaders in the fight to end breast cancer. Combined, the supermarket partners have given more than $2.5 million to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® affiliates and other organizations that have been working to find a cure to breast cancer since 2001.

"Ralphs and Food 4 Less really do make positive change happen in our communities," said Laura Farmer Sherman, Executive Director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in San Diego. "A committed sponsor of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® events throughout the Southwest, this wonderful company helps touch the lives of millions of women by providing funds to cover every step of the breast cancer journey. In fact, 75 percent of every dollar raised stays in each community to provide for everything from education, outreach, mammograms and diagnostics to surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and materials and financial support. The remaining 25 percent funds international breast cancer research. In fact, next to the U.S. government, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is the largest funder of breast cancer research in the world."

Last year, Ralphs and Food 4 Less combined to provide more than $8 million in cash and in-kind donations to organizations focused on health, education, the fight against hunger, developing our youth, and the environment.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.5 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.

About Ralphs

Ralphs was founded in 1873 and currently operates 258 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE: KR), one of the nation's largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com.

About Food 4 Less

Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, Food 4 Less operates 132 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California and Nevada, and Foods Co in Northern California; and an additional 15 Food 4 Less stores in Illinois and Indiana operated by their Midwest Division Office in Burbank, IL. Food 4 Less is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE: KR), one of the nation's largest grocery retailers, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about Food 4 Less, please visit our website at www.food4less.com.

SOURCE Ralphs; Food 4 Less