Kroger's Family of Stores Commits $3 Million in Donations for Breast Cancer Awareness

CINCINNATI, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with key suppliers, The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) has committed $3 million in donations to support breast cancer initiatives in communities across the country where Kroger customers and associates live and work.  

Kroger's annual breast cancer campaign, "Giving Hope a Hand®", again will feature associates from across the company who are breast cancer survivors.  This year, 56 women share their stories of survival on marketing materials and custom packages of national and Kroger brand items, which will be sold exclusively in Kroger's family of stores, including:  City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's.

Natalie Lucas, a Kroger store manager in Richmond, Indiana, is featured on Cheez-It snack crackers.  She learned she had breast cancer two days before she was to walk in a local Race for the Cure® event.  She shares her story to reassure those now facing the disease.  

"I was given over 80 scarves to wear after chemo.  I had one for every holiday or occasion and now share them with others going through the same thing.  I tell them that they may lose their hair, but they never have to lose hope," said Lucas.  

Lucas's inspirational story and others can be found at www.sharingcourage.com, an interactive website dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness.

"All of us at Kroger applaud these terrific associates for choosing to share their personal stories of fighting breast cancer with our customers and associates," said David B. Dillon, Kroger's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  "We are pleased to have our great people featured in our annual campaign, as they inspire others to take care of themselves and each other."  

Kroger's campaign includes a store-wide sales promotion of popular items, many of which will feature exclusive, specially marked pink packaging.  This year, 1,800 items, including Kroger's own products and popular items from Kroger partners including Pepsi, Kellogg, Kraft, General Mills, Procter & Gamble and Kimberly Clark will be marked with special pink shelf tags to highlight their participation.  

Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 334,000 associates who serve customers in 2,468 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's. The Company also operates 784 convenience stores, 372 fine jewelry stores, 932 supermarket fuel centers and 40 food processing plants in the U.S. Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.