LOS ANGELES, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralphs Grocery Company today announced
that it contributed $10.8 million to local communities and charitable causes
in 2001.
These contributions -- which include donations made by Ralphs
Supermarkets, Food 4 Less Price Impact Stores, The Ralphs/Food 4 Less
Foundation, employees and through in-store fundraising -- provided much-needed
financial support to hundreds of local schools, hunger relief agencies, youth
sports teams and nonprofit organizations in communities where Ralphs and Food
4 Less operate stores.
"Ralphs Grocery Company recognizes the importance of investing in the
communities where our associates and customers live and work," said John
Burgon, President of Ralphs Supermarkets and Chairman and President of The
Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation. "We work closely with our customers, schools,
food banks, youth programs and nonprofit groups in their local communities.
In this way, Ralphs Grocery Company is able to give something back to the
people and neighborhoods that have given us so much."
Ralphs and Food 4 Less focus their charitable giving in five key areas:
being a "good neighbor;" hunger relief; education; advancement of women and
minorities; and women's health. Among the charitable programs that Ralphs and
Food 4 Less sponsored last year:
-- Neighbor-to-Neighbor programs are operated in Ralphs and Food 4 Less
stores in which cash and product donations totaling $1.2 million were
made in response to customer requests to support youth activities,
scouting, schools, and other local nonprofit organizations.
-- Ralphs works closely with regional food banks affiliated with America's
Second Harvest, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief
organization. Last year the Company participated with Second Harvest
in the Grocery Alliance, an initiative created by The Kroger Company,
Ralphs' parent company, to increase food donations through multiple
approaches.
-- Fundraising for schools and local organizations -- Ralphs and Food
4 Less donated $3.7 million to local schools and charitable
organizations through its Gift Certificate "scrip" sales program.
-- Employee donations and in-store fundraising resulted in $4 million in
contributions to support September 11th relief efforts, children's
hospitals, and a wide range of local charities.
-- The Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation awarded grants totaling $1.9 million
in 2001. Grants were made to nonprofit organizations located in
communities where Ralphs and Food 4 Less operate to support the
Foundation's charitable priorities.
The Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation was established in 1991 by Ralphs and
Food 4 Less to fulfill the supermarket company's commitment to giving back to
the communities it serves. Over this time, the Foundation has assisted
hundreds of nonprofit organizations, schools and community groups from San
Diego to Sacramento with grants in excess of $20 million. Thousands of people
have benefited as a result of this support.
Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates more
than 450 conventional and warehouse-style supermarkets under the Ralphs and
Food 4 Less banners in Southern California and Nevada; and Ralphs, Cala Foods,
Bell Markets and Foods Co in Northern California, 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.
SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company
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Related links:
http://www.ralphs.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/732950.html
CONTACT:
Terry O'Neil of Ralphs Grocery Company,
+1-310-884-4680
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