Ralphs Grocery Company Ralphs Invites Customers to Support Our Troops

Honoring Our Heroes Campaign Will Raise Funds To Assist Military Programs through the USO

News provided by

May 26, 2015, 05:04 ET

LOS ANGELES, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralphs invites customers to join in supporting the men and women of the armed forces and their families during its annual Honoring Our Heroes campaign in partnership with the USO.

Customers may support the USO by donating their spare change in the checkstand canisters featuring this message at all Ralphs stores.

To honor our heroes, Ralphs and other Kroger-family stores, together with customers and employees, are raising money to support the USO's broad range of programs that assist service members and their families. Since 2010, The Kroger Co., of which Ralphs is a division, has provided more than $11.9 million to support the USO – the largest cumulative gift to the USO in the organization's history.

This year, customers and associates of Ralphs will be able to show their support for our service men and women from May 20 to July 21 by donating their spare change in specially-marked coin boxes at the check stands in all Ralphs supermarkets. One-hundred percent of all donations will go to the USO.

"The USO supports our military and their families in so many ways—from being right there for the wounded, injured and ill, to helping those who are on deployment record a bed time story for their children," said Kendra Doyel, Ralphs' senior manager of corporate affairs. "The USO connects with our service men and women every step of the way, and Ralphs is proud to honor our troops and veterans by supporting them."

Honoring Ralphs' Heroes
Ralphs is also recognizing company employees and their families who are active and former military members, including Anthony Vapor who works at the Ralphs at 18405 Brookhurst Street in Fountain Valley.

Vapor is an Engineman 3^rd Class Petty Officer in the United States Navy Reserves. He says managing his job at Ralphs and his military commitment has been "easy" because Ralphs is a "military friendly" company.

"My managers at Ralphs have been very accommodating. They really understand my "other job" and work with me," says Vapor, a Navy Reservist since 2012.

Customers can read more stories like Anthony Vapor's, and learn how to volunteer with the USO or make a donation, by visiting www.honoringourheroes.com.

The annual Honoring Our Heroes campaign is just one element of Kroger and Ralphs' year-round commitment to supporting members of the military and their families. Kroger and Ralphs hired more than 6,000 veterans in 2014 and more than 29,000 veterans since 2009.

About Ralphs
Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 216 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. Last year, Ralphs contributed more than $6 million to support education, hunger relief, women's health and local nonprofit organizations in the communities served by the company's stores. Ralphs is a subsidiary 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.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150526/218583

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130715/LA47427LOGO

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company