PLEASANTON, Calif., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) and Kraft Foods announced the culmination of the Help Us End Hunger (Every Bag Counts) food drive, a national program helping fight hunger in communities across the country. With the help of generous Safeway customers, nearly 362,000 bags of groceries were secured for food banks and other hunger relief centers throughout the U.S. In addition to helping provide products for the food drive, Kraft Foods donated the monetary equivalent of 3 million meals* –$420,000– to local food banks in Safeway's U.S. operating divisions.
Part of Kraft Foods' donation helps support the efforts of 100 Safeway stores that sold the most food drive bags for local food banks. These "Top 100 Food Banks" will receive a monetary grant as part of Kraft Foods' three million meal donation.
The Help Us End Hunger (Every Bag Counts) food drive was central to Safeway's end-of-year giving initiative. High-quality pantry staples were pre-selected and bagged, allowing customers to purchase the bag for a discounted price and place it in a donation barrel that went directly to a local food bank.
"Hunger is a very serious issue in our country that often goes overlooked," said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive Vice President and Chair of the Safeway Foundation. "Sadly, more than 50 million Americans, or one in six of our neighbors, struggles to put food on their tables. That's why we joined with Kraft Foods and encouraged our customers to help us tackle this problem. The Help Us End Hunger (Every Bag Counts) food drive and Kraft Foods' meal donation meant that nearly 362,000 families in need had nutritious food."
Safeway is a longtime hunger relief advocate and an industry leader in environmental sustainability, ethical business practices and effective community outreach. Safeway upholds an operating philosophy that is rooted in corporate social responsibility and focused on four key fundamentals: People, Products, Community, and the Planet. These fundamentals are "The Heart of Safeway," bringing together our passion for food and serving our customers with the rapidly developing needs of our communities and our planet.
Kraft Foods has a long-standing commitment to fighting hunger. The three million meal donation for Help Us End Hunger (Every Bag Counts) is part of Kraft Foods' "Huddle to Fight Hunger," a program that has raised more than 25 million meals for Feeding America®, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief organization.
About Safeway Inc. 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.