Safeway Raises $10.4 Million for People with Disabilities

Published on Tuesday, 17 May 2011 12:58 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

PLEASANTON, Calif.-( Business Wire )-

Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) and The Safeway Foundation announced they raised $10.4 million during the month of April to support Easter Seals, Special Olympics and other organizations that provide critical services to enhance the lives of people with disabilities. Safeway’s commitment to helping people with physical and developmental disabilities is just part of the company’s overall focus on Corporate Social Responsibility. Safeway also released its 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report which chronicles the philanthropic, environmental, and employee programs that positively impact the communities and people that it serves, employs and supports each day.

“We are grateful to our customers who chose to help make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities,” said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive Vice President and Chair of the Safeway Foundation. “Thanks to their generosity, Easter Seals, Special Olympics and other organizations that support people with disabilities will be even better positioned to assist this important, but often overlooked, part of our population.”

Safeway’s month-long People with Disabilities fundraising campaign was carried out in the company’s nearly 1,700 stores in the U.S. and Canada. The funds, raised from customer contributions, will be used to provide assistance, job training, therapy and social outlets to people who live with physical or developmental disabilities. Over the years, Safeway has raised nearly $130 million to support these organizations in the local geographies where the money was raised.

“We can’t thank Safeway, its employees and customers enough for their incredible support,” said James E. Williams, Jr., President and CEO of Easter Seals. “Especially in the current environment, when more families are coming to Easter Seals for needed disability services, Safeway’s philanthropic leadership makes a critical difference to us.”

"On behalf of the entire Special Olympics family, we are so grateful to Safeway and their customers for their amazing support of our athletes," said Timothy Shriver, Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics. “From providing employment to rallying the community for support, Safeway has proven time and time again their leadership in creating opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.”

Also during April, Safeway partnered with Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization that makes facility modifications for people with disabilities. Rebuilding Together affiliates received funding from The Safeway Foundation to modify homes and senior centers in ten cities. In addition, Safeway employees gave hundreds of volunteer hours to complete the work. Modifications included adding wheelchair ramps, widening doorways for wheelchair access, adding grab bars and handrails, as well as painting, gardening and other cosmetic upgrades.

The April campaign is one of two annual Safeway fundraisers supporting organizations that focus on the specific needs of people with disabilities. The organizations include The Muscular Dystrophy Association and Augie’s Quest.

The company’s new “Leading with our Hearts” 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report gives greater insight to the fundraising, community outreach, sustainability initiatives and better-for-you products that make Safeway an industry leader in CSR. Adhering to the company’s commitment to sustainability, the full CSR Report was published in its entirety exclusively online at www.Safeway.com/csr. The web site includes videos and information that will be updated regularly. A small, quad-fold brochure printed on paper made from recycled materials serves as a summary of the full report and an environmentally friendly alternative to a larger publication.

The report details the accomplishments of the four key platforms of the broad CSR initiative: People, Products, Community and Planet. Among the many achievements in 2010, Safeway’s successfully…

• Diverted approximately 490,000 tons of materials from landfills
• Completed the 19th store that utilizes solar power
• Broke ground on two one-megawatt wind turbines at our Tracy, California, distribution center. The turbines, which were completed in early May, are projected to generate 3.6 million kilowatt hours per year for the 1.9 million-square-foot facility
• Donated more than $130 million in food to hunger relief agencies
• Donated $21.4 million to schools and education programs
• Reached nearly $160 million in funds raised and donated since 2001 to breast cancer and prostate cancer research and treatment
• Received Canada’s Best Diversity Employer Award for 2010
• Volunteered thousands of hours with community organizations as part of the employee Volunteer Initiative. The goal for 2011 is to reach one million volunteer hours.
• Launched Open Nature, a line of foods made with 100% natural ingredients. Open Nature joins O Organics, Eating Right and In-Kind in the area of better-for-you Safeway brand offerings to help customers live healthier lives

In his introductory letter of the CSR Report, Chairman, President and CEO Steve Burd said, “CSR is not a project, but a part of Safeway’s corporate culture.”

“As a neighborhood grocery store in communities across North America, we know we have a responsibility to make a positive, measurable impact on the lives of our customers. As our customers and employees work to be better stewards of the planet, we will continue to do our part — while delivering the quality, service and value you have come to expect from us,” Burd said.

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.

ABOUT EASTER SEALS www.easterseals.com

Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider of services for individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. For more than 90 years, we have been offering help and hope to children and adults living with disabilities, and to the families who love them. Through therapy, training, education and support services, Easter Seals creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work and play. Support children and adults with disabilities at www.easterseals.com.

ABOUT SPECIAL OLYMPICS www.specialolympics.org

Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to nearly 3.5 million athletes in over 170 countries in all regions of the world, providing year-round sports training, athletic competition and other related programs. Special Olympics now takes place every day, changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities in places like China and from regions like the Middle East to the community playgrounds and ball fields in every small neighborhood’s backyard. Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org.

Safeway Inc.Teena Massingill, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.