Ralphs and Food 4 Less Help Troops Phone Home

LOS ANGELES May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ralphs Grocery Company and Food 4 Less Stores are pleased to announce that they are raising funds for the USO (United Service Organizations) to support our nation's military members.

Ralphs and Food 4 Less customers and team members can "support our troops" by giving to the USO's Operation Phone Home program through the supermarket chains' nonprofit arms, The Ralphs and Food 4 Less Funds, by donating their spare change in collection canisters located at the checkstands in their neighborhood Ralphs and Food 4 Less supermarkets. The USO Operation Phone Home fund-raising campaign will run from May 23 through August 14, 2010.

"We salute our troops and thank them for the sacrifices they make to protect us," said Mike Donnelly, Ralphs president. "Ralphs is delighted to be able to help our troops reach out to their loved ones back home through our support of the USO's Operation Phone Home program."

Established in 2003, USO Operation Phone Home delivers prepaid international phone cards to deployed service members free of charge. The phone cards are distributed through USO centers both overseas and in the U.S., where they are handed out to service members passing through, or are delivered directly to military units. Since the program began, more than 2.2 million phone cards have been distributed.

"We are very proud to show our support of the U.S. military by raising funds for the USO," said Bryan Kaltenbach, Food 4 Less president. "The USO's mission is important in letting active duty military personnel know the citizens of the United States appreciate their efforts."

Last year, Ralphs and Food 4 Less provided more than $8 million in cash and in-kind donations to organizations focused on health, education, the fight against hunger, developing our youth, and the environment.

About the USO

The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America's troops and their families. We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases around the world, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services tailored to meet troop needs. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families, and the families of the fallen.

The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency; we rely on the generosity of our donors. We strive to deliver maximum benefit for troops and their families from every dollar. For more information, please visit http://www.uso.org.

About Ralphs Grocery Company

Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 257 supermarkets 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. For more about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com.

About Food 4 Less

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Food 4 Less operates 147 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Nevada, Illinois and Indiana, and Foods Co in Northern California, from its headquarters in Los Angeles. Food 4 Less is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE: KR), one of the nation's largest grocery retailers, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about Food 4 Less, please visit our website at www.food4less.com.

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company

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