NFL Gives Hope a Hand at Kroger

JULIE GALLAGHER

CINCINNATI — NFL players Mark Sanchez and Eli Manning may be the first celebrities to join Kroger Co.'s breast cancer awareness campaign, but the true stars are real-life survivors of the disease.

More than 50 Kroger employees afflicted with breast cancer join survivors from PepsiCo and other sponsors on private-label and national-brand packages and signs in 2,500 stores this month.

It's all part of Giving Hope a Hand, Kroger's fifth annual effort to raise $3 million for breast cancer initiatives. “These are everyday people that were dealt a challenging hand but played it with grace and courage,” explained Janet Ausdenmoore, manager of corporate affairs for Kroger.

Betty Swanson is among the survivors taking part. Diagnosed in 2010, the Kroger employee is featured with New York Jets quarterback Sanchez on signs calling attention to endcap displays of pink cases of Pepsi.

She and other survivors tell their stories at Kroger's sharingcourage.com.

To make a big impact, Pepsi also tied its partnership with the NFL to brands like Stacy's, Gatorade, Propel, Lay's and Quaker Oats. “The campaign was born out of the insight that consumers are more likely to support products and brands that give back to a cause,” spokeswomen Kristine Hinck told SN.