PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest donation to the
Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross for September 11th disaster
relief was made today by Fred Meyer when Sam Duncan, president of the company,
presented checks totaling $564,603.11 to Sue Hildick, executive director of
the Oregon Trail Chapter, at the company's main office in Portland.
Fred Meyer issued two checks. The largest was $338,968.50 and represented
proceeds from the sale of patriotic T-shirts at all Fred Meyer stores. The
second check totaled $225,634.61 and came from Fred Meyer customers who made
their donations at store cash registers that were specially programmed for
this effort.
"These checks represent the largest donation for September 11 disaster
relief that our chapter has received," Hildick said. "This money will be put
to work to help the families of the victims and to support those who are
working so hard in the clean-up and recovery efforts."
Duncan said as he presented the checks, "We are proud to partner with our
customers to raise so much money for the victims and heroes of the
September 11th attack on America. We thank all those wonderful customers who
joined us in helping so many others through their donations and purchases."
Included in the company donation from T-shirt sales is $50,000 earmarked
for use in Oregon to support the local programs that help train local
Red Cross disaster relief specialists and keep them available on short notice
to go where they are needed.
Hildick explained that volunteers from Oregon made up one of the largest
state contingents of Red Cross volunteer specialists to help in New York and
Washington, DC after the attack.
"Oregon volunteers will continue to assist with delivering services to the
victims," she said. "The local training and management of these teams is an
integral part of that process." Several Red Cross volunteers who had recently
returned from the disaster sites were at the check presentation event to see
the donation supporting their efforts.
In addition to the donations, the two organizations announced they were
working on a cooperative effort to educate the public about emergency
preparedness. "Helping northwest families be prepared to deal with potential
emergencies is one of the chief priorities of the Red Cross. To have
Fred Meyer helping us spread that information is a huge boost for the
program," Hildick said.
Fred Meyer Stores is a division of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), which is one
of the nation's largest retail grocery chains. Disaster relief donations by
all Kroger divisions since September 11 total more than $6 million.
Fred Meyer is based in Portland, Oregon and features 131 multidepartment
stores in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Utah that offer one-stop
shopping for a wide range of food, apparel, and general merchandise products.
SOURCE Fred Meyer Stores
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Related links:
http://www.fredmeyerstores.com
CONTACT:
Rob Boley, assistant vice president, public
relations of Fred Meyer Stores, +1-503-797-7176, or Henry
Sessions, director of communications, Oregon Trail Chapter of the
American Red Cross, +1-503-280-1450
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