Safeway Campaign Raises Money for Prostate Cancer Research

Safeway Inc. announced that its stores raised $10.3 million during the company's annual Prostate Cancer Awareness campaign. For the 13th year in a row, Safeway's entire chain of more than 1,600 stores dedicated an entire month to raising money and increasing awareness for the fight against prostate cancer, which currently affects more than two million American men and remains the second-leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States. One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. To date, Safeway's customers have donated nearly $86.8 million to the cause. "We'd like to express our gratitude to our customers who have, year after year, shown commitment to this important cause by contributing and helping to save lives, one dollar at a time," said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive Vice President and Chair of the Safeway Foundation. To identify the most promising and groundbreaking prostate cancer research projects for funding, Safeway and The Safeway Foundation partner with a range of cancer research organizations such as  the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Stand Up to Cancer, and the University of California at San Francisco. The donations have funded more than 1,600 research projects, yielding several leading-edge, life-saving treatments. Over the past three years alone, six new prostate cancer drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration and dozens of new drugs are currently in trials due to Safeway's support. Safeway's support has also led to a treatment that may decrease cancer deaths by 20 percent per year by deploying new combinations of surgery and medications early in the course of the disease. A new advancement in early detection that was funded by Safeway and Safeway Foundation is a simple test to detect a unique piece of DNA found only in prostate cancer cells. The test gives doctors the potential to catch prostate cancer many years earlier. When used with a standard Prostate-Specific Antigen test and a checkup, doctors can not only accurately determine if a patient has prostate cancer, but can also predict how aggressive the cancer might be and potentially avoid biopsies and radical treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Safeway is also one of the largest supporters of breast cancer causes. Since 2001 Safeway and The Safeway Foundation have raised and donated more than $206 million for breast cancer and prostate cancer treatment and research. In addition to supporting cancer causes, Safeway and The Safeway Foundation are major contributors to causes that help people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, having raised more than $150 million for Easter Seals and Special Olympics and $68.7 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The company is also one of the biggest supporters of hunger relief, donating $119 million in food to food banks and pantries last year alone.