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SAFEWAY'S FEAST OF SHARING PROVIDED HOLIDAY MEAL FOR 4,000 ON WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, Safeway Inc. hosted an event on Wednesday, Nov. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center that was designed to provide more than a festive holiday meal for District residents in need. The Safeway Feast of Sharing featured a job fair with more than 40 local employers looking to put these unemployed citizens back to work.
With the assistance of the Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries, about 4,000 city residents attended the Safeway Feast of Sharing, which was held for the fifth straight year.
"The only way an event of this kind can take place is through the spirit of giving," said Gregory TenEyck, Safeway's Eastern Director of Public Affairs. "All the partners associated with this function are donating their time and services because all of us believe we are not only sharing a holiday feast but also a message of hope to our neighbors in need. We're pleased it is becoming a meaningful Thanksgiving tradition in Washington."
Safeway and most of the event sponsors are among more than 40 employers that participated in the job fair, along with SunTrust Bank, the Metropolitan Police, Sunrise Assisted Living and Washington Hospital Center. Additionally, health screenings and other services were available for guests from a variety of organizations.
The following are the partners contributing to the event:
- Safeway donated all the food and centerpieces.
- Washington Convention Center is provided the banquet hall.
- Center Plate/NBSE, the convention center's caterer, is preparing the meal.
- Salvation Army and Amerigroup have identified and invited the guests.
- Goodwill Industries has coordinated the job and health fair.
- Metropolitan Baptist Church organized the volunteers.
- SunTrust Bank is provided aprons for volunteers.
- Securpros is provided security services.
Contact: Gregory TenEyck at (301) 918-7077 or Craig Muckle at (301) 918-6803.
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SAFEWAY PROVIDES MORE THAN $10 MILLION TO MID-ATLANTIC CHARITIES DURING 2003
Safeway’s Eastern Division contributed more than an estimated $10.1 million in cash and in-kind donations to non-profit agencies throughout the mid-Atlantic region (including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Virginia) during the 2003 calendar year.
The total giving includes $7.4 million by Safeway stores in the Washington ($5.7 million) and Baltimore ($1.7 million) metropolitan areas with the remaining $2.7 being provided by Genuardi's Markets, owned by Safeway.
The company has typically identified hunger relief, education and health-related causes as its three key areas of need where the largest percentage of its charitable gifts are directed. In keeping with that philosophy, Safeway's largest annual contribution is generally made to fighting hunger and, during 2003, the company provided more than $4.8 million in donated food and funds to food banks and other feeding organizations. Its next most significant donation was $862,000 to local schools participating in the Club Card for Education program.
In 2003, the Safeway Foundation became fully operational and provided grants of at least $2,500 to mid-Atlantic region non-profit associations. Grants totaling $252,000 were bestowed to numerous organizations including $50,000 to the Greater Washington Urban League, $20,000 to the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, $10,000 each to the United Negro College Fund, Maryland Special Olympics and Baltimore Associated Black Charities for its Bea Gaddy Day celebration.
Safeway continued its annual in-store fundraising campaigns to fight prostate and breast cancer. Locally, the company raised $217,000 to support breast cancer organizations in Washington (Holy Cross Hospital) and Baltimore (the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins). Additionally, $194,000 was raised for CaPCURE, the national organization dedicated to finding a cure for prostate cancer. Another yearly in-store giving effort, Round Up Hunger, generated $113,000 in cash contributions to support local food banks. The Because Safeway Cares campaign garnered nearly $100,000 which was distributed to approximately 130 charities around the mid-Atlantic region. Safeway also staged its fourth annual Feast of Sharing at the Washington Convention Center, providing a holiday meal and job fair for approximately 4,000 people in need the day before Thanksgiving.
The retailer continued many long-standing partnerships during 2003 that provided assistance to residents of its service area. These relationships included its scholarship program with the Greater Washington Urban League with $18,000 in college financial aid provided to selected graduating high school seniors. The company sponsored several food drives, including Project Harvest, Food Drive 9, Scouting For Food and the Neediest Kids Food Drive. Safeway and Western Union teamed up to renovate a basketball court in Southeast Washington near the Anacostia neighborhood.
The division also supports major, non-profit group events through sponsorships. Among the activities Safeway sponsored last year were AIDS Walk, the Sallie Mae 10K Race, Komen National Race for The Cure, Komen Maryland Race for The Cure, the Children’s Festival, the Howard Co. Hospital’s Symphony of Lights, and March of Dimes’ WalkAmerica 2003.
In addition to the high-profile events, Safeway responds favorably to the hundreds of requests it receives from churches, PTAs and other community- and neighborhood-oriented groups.
“As a major business in the both mid-Atlantic region and the United States, we have a responsibility to make sure we offer a significant percentage of our resources to support the communities we serve," said Eastern Division President Karl Schroeder. "Our customer base includes people from all socioeconomic backgrounds and it is important for them to know that part of our commitment is not only to provide high-quality groceries to their families but to help in sustaining the communities where they live and work."
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SAFEWAY ANNOUNCES ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Lanham, Md. -- Safeway introduced its six 2004 scholarship winners during the Greater Washington Urban League's (GWUL) annual Whitney M. Young Memorial Gala. This year's campaign marked the seventh consecutive year the two organizations have partnered to award scholarships to deserving graduating high school seniors from suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia, totaling 42 scholarships for $126,000.
This year’s recipients were Fodesola Adetosoye of Springbrook High School (Silver Spring, Md.), Dionna Lewis of Benjamin Banneker Academic High School (Washington); Keyona Nwaolu of Friendly Senior High School (Fort Washington, Md.), Tameika Scott of Dunbar Pre-Engineering Senior High School (Washington), Rashid Shiitu of Anacostia Senior High School (Washington), and Albert Wamba of High Point High School (Beltsville, Md.). Each $3,000 award will be paid directly to the recipient’s chosen institution to assist them with their first year of college tuition.
Eastern Division President Karl Schroeder (left) on stage at the Greater Washington Urban League Gala with the 2004 Safeway Scholarship winners (left to right) Fedosola Adetosoye, Dionna Lewis, Keyona Nwaolu, Rashid Shittu and actress Vivica A. Fox. Not present were Tameika Scott and Albert Wamba.
The scholarship competition was open to graduating high school seniors interested in continuing their education. Each applicant was required to submit a 500-word essay on “As Mayor (or Governor), I Would…" and offer solutions to some of the issues in their communities. Other factors in the selection process were the applicant’s financial need, a minimum grade point average of 2.5, a high school transcript, proof of completion of 90 percent of school community service and proof of college acceptance.
“Safeway is pleased to continue its partnership with the Urban League to aid these excellent students with their continuing educational pursuits," said Division President Karl Schroeder. “It is obvious these young people are 
very thoughtful with their ideas and will serve as role models for others. We congratulate them on their past and current accomplishments and look forward to charting their progress as they embark on a new phase of their lives.”
The essays from each of the three Washington, D.C. winners will be sent to Mayor Anthony Williams with Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich receiving copies of the compositions from the three Maryland honorees.
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LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS HONOR SAFEWAY WITH EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Safeway's Eastern Division has been recognized by four separate local agencies since 2003 as their Employer Of The Year for the company's hiring practices benefiting persons with disabilities.
The first award was presented by the Marriott Foundation's Bridges program, which is a transitional effort established for people with disabilities. The organization is designed to foster the employment of young people by developing employment opportunities for them during the senior year of high school. Many of the Bridges participants are members of ethnic minorities and experience employment and economic challenges.
The Mayor's Committee on Persons with Disabilities (MCPD) honored Safeway for providing entry-level jobs to challenged individuals. Following that honor, a similar award was presented to the division by the Alexandria (Va.) Chamber of Commerce. Its most recent Employer of the Year recognition was bestowed in 2004 by the Arlington County (Va.) Community Services Board, acknowledging two store managers for their willingness to provide gainful employment to residents with developmental disabilities.
Safeway Inc is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The company operates approximately 1,700 stores in the United States and Canada with a total workforce of nearly 200,000 employees. Its diversity and philanthropic efforts have been recognized in recent years by Forbes, Fortune and Worth Magazines, respectively.
The Eastern Division currently employs more than 16,000 people and operates 179 stores that includes 37 Genuardi's Markets in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, along with 76 Safeway stores in Maryland, 45 in Virginia, 16 in the District of Columbia and four in Delaware.
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Safeway Inc. has been an integral partner of the Capital Area Food Bank since it was founded in 1980. Safeway contributes to the Food Bank in a number of ways.
- First, millions of pounds of food are donated through Safeway's distribution center and stores, valued at more than $6 million annually.
- The company also hosts an annual fundraising campaign through the some 100 Safeway stores in the Washington metropolitan area. The Round Up Hunger campaign involves cashiers asking customers if they want to "round up" their grocery total to the nearest dollar with the change going to help fight hunger in the community.
- Safeway contributes thousands of dollars in gift cards to the Food Bank's Operation Front Line Program, which helps teach low income families how to stretch their grocery dollars through efficient shopping strategies.
- Several food drives at area Safeway stores throughout the year provide food donations to the Food Bank and its member agencies. Among the campaigns are the Neediest Kids Food Drive between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and Scouting For Food in cooperation with the Boy Scouts.
- Safeway has always had a senior executive serve as an active member of the Food Bank's Board of Directors. Currently, Greg TenEyck, Director of Public Affairs for Safeway's Eastern Division, is the Chairman of the Board.
For more information please visit www.capitalareafoodbank.org
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Supporting Local Schools
Among the many ways that Safeway has supported our communities over the past 10 years is through our Club Card for Education program. In that time, we are proud to have played an active role in the education of our children by contributing nearly $15 million in computers and other equipment to schools in our area. Originally introduced as a register tape collection campaign, we have improved it over the past three years into a convenient system that only required the use of the Safeway Club Card. Now Safeway is pleased to announce an exciting new way to help you raise more for your school than ever before. This year, Safeway's Club Card for education is powered by eScrip. You can earn up to 3% on your Safeway purchases and earn money through other eScrip partners like Office Max, Eddie Bauer, Payless Shoe Source and Pep Boys.
Sound exciting? Well it is! And we want your school to take full advantage of the extra fundraising potential offered by this phenomenal new program. To learn more about eScrip just visit escrip.com.
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