Safeway Launches Holiday Campaign to Fight Hunger

PLEASANTON, Calif., Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) today launched its Help Us End Hunger (Every Bag Counts) food drive to help make the holidays brighter for people who rely on the assistance of food banks.

The company is joining with Kraft Foods, customers, local food banks and broadcast partners to collect food donations at all Safeway stores from November 16 through December 24, with a special day for food banks and their volunteers to meet and greet Safeway customers and donors on Saturday, November 19.  

"Assisting people who need help during the holidays and throughout the year is a Safeway priority," said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive Vice President and Chair of The Safeway Foundation. "This campaign provides an opportunity for us to help make a brighter holiday for countless families."

To make the donation process easier, a specially produced shopping bag filled with the items the food banks need the most will be available for $10 at all Safeway stores. The bag includes:

• Chicken of the Sea Chunk White Tuna
• Kraft Nabisco Premium Crackers
• Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
• Pantry Essentials Canned Vegetables
• Safeway Spaghetti or Macaroni (1 pound package)
• Safeway Long Grain Rice (2 pound package)
• Safeway Stuffing  
• Safeway Cranberry Sauce  

Kraft Foods will provide a special holiday gift in the form of a grant to several food banks in each of Safeway's U.S. operating divisions, a total commitment of $400,000.  The cash donation will help the food banks provide roughly 2 million meals.

The Help Us End Hunger (Every Bag Counts) project comes at time that community organizations, particularly local food banks and hunger relief centers, have been stretched to capacity.  According to the new "Household Food Security in the United States" report issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1 in 5 children in the U.S. are at risk of hunger. The report also found that nearly 49 million Americans are food insecure.

One of the largest food banks in California, the Alameda County Community Food Bank, says demand for food donations is at an all-time high. "Our food bank serves one in six residents in our community – and the need continues to grow," said Executive Director Suzan Bateson. "Food banks rely heavily on businesses and individual contributors to help meet growing demand. We're very grateful to Safeway for the Help Us End Hunger project and the tremendous impact the company's food drives have on our neighbors facing hunger, year-round."

Safeway is a major supporter of food banks, contributing more than $130 million in products to hunger relief programs in 2010. In addition, the company supports a broad range of charitable and community programs including education, health and human services and programs focused on assisting people with disabilities.

About Safeway www.Safeway.com

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,694 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $41.1 billion in 2010. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.

Contact: Teena Massingill, 925-467-3810, [email protected]

SOURCE Safeway Inc.