Stater Bros. Charities raises more than $360,000 for the fight against heart disease and stroke

EAST YUCCA VALLEY, Calif., June 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Stater Bros. Charities joined the American Heart Association and its division, American Stroke Association at the East Yucca Valley Stater Bros. Supermarket on Wednesday, June 5^th, to celebrate another successful fundraising campaign benefiting the AHA's mission of building healthier lives free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. This year, Stater Bros. Charities exceeded their goal by raising $364,901 for the fight against heart disease and stroke, the No. 1 and No. 4 killers in the nation.

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During the month of February each year, Stater Bros. customers at all 166 Stater Bros. Supermarkets purchase $1 red paper hearts and $5 gold paper hearts at the time of check out to support the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. In the last 12 years, Stater Bros. customers and employees have raised more than $3.5 million. The funds raised during the campaign directly benefit the Southern California community in the form of AHA research grants, community education programs and health care quality improvement initiatives. 

"Heart disease and stroke affect a great number of people in the communities we serve," said Jack H. Brown, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stater Bros. Supermarkets. "We are proud of what we raised this year in partnership with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and look forward to many more years of saving lives from the leading causes of death in our community."

"We are deeply grateful to Stater Bros. for their continued support of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association," said Janice Murphy, CFA, Board Chair of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Western States Affiliate. "We have an aggressive goal of improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020. The campaign is making a huge impact on these efforts by raising critical funds for programs and services and reaching thousands of people every year with lifesaving information about heart disease and stroke."

Heart disease and stroke survivor Steve Irigoyen, of Rancho Cucamonga, attended the celebration to thank Stater Bros. Charities for their support in the fight against heart disease and stroke. Irigoyen was a healthy working professional when he suffered his first heart attack at 39 in 2002. Since then he's had six more heart attacks, a stroke, two open-heart bypass surgeries and 19 stents placed in his arteries due to his weak heart vessels. Before his heart attack, his goal was to move up in corporate management. Today his purpose is to beat heart disease so that he can live to see his son graduate, get married and accomplish his dreams. Steve knows that he is at risk for more heart attacks and stroke, and that is why he is making every effort to live as healthy as possible by eating better and exercising more. Steve is a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

"I didn't know then that the American Heart Association has been my silent partner in survival and recovery," said Irigoyen. "Since 1949 the American Heart Association has invested more than $3.2 billion in research and about $1.4 billion in just the last decade. I am one of millions of heart disease survivors who are alive today because of these efforts. I want you to know that you are making a difference and saving lives like mine."

The American Heart Association was at the event to influence the public to start improving their own health by providing educational information and free health screenings.

About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America's No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join the AHA, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or any of their offices around the country, or visit heart.org.

About Stater Bros. Charities
Stater Bros. Charities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports critical needs in the communities where Stater Bros. employees live and work.  Since 2008, Stater Bros. Charities has provided funding to countless local organizations and causes that benefit hunger relief, children-in-need, and education for both youth and adults, services for the elderly and care for our Nation's Veterans.  Funds are raised throughout the year from generous customers, supplier friends, and caring members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family.  For more information log onto www.staterbros.com.

About Stater Bros. Markets
Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County, with annual sales in 2012 of $3.9 billion.  The Company currently operates 166 Supermarkets, and there are over 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family.  Throughout the year 2013, Stater Bros. will be celebrating 77 years of proudly serving Southern California Families.

Contact:
Susan Atkinson
Vice President Corporate Affairs
Stater Bros. Markets
Tel: 909-733-5038
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Stater Bros. Charities