SAFEWAY'S HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE

Greg Gattuso

PLEASANTON, Calif. -- While Safeway food drives support A2H throughout the country, one of its most visible campaigns is held here during the holiday period in the company's Northern California home base.

Safeway's holiday food drive in the San Francisco Bay Area, run in conjunction with the local ABC television affiliate, asks viewers to come out to several locations, including Safeway stores, to donate.

The company sets up its main broadcast location in Union Square, the city's main retail area, to drum up additional awareness and support. This way, people doing their holiday shopping can stop by the broadcast area to donate food or cash, while Union Square retailers collect donations at their stores and present them on air.

These televised campaigns not only support Second Harvest and its affiliated food banks, they give other businesses and individuals an easy way to contribute.

Safeway has been involved with America's Second Harvest since its inception. The retail giant was one of A2H's first corporate partners.

During the holiday season, every Safeway division conducts food drives and/or cash donation drives for local food banks. In 2004, Safeway donated 30 million pounds of food to A2H affiliates. Its total contribution for the year, including product donations, cash and other in-kind donations, was $47.5 million.

For 2005, the company expects to donate 30 million pounds of food to A2H food banks."America's Second Harvest gives us an effective and efficient means of helping to feed millions of hungry people," said Safeway executive vice president Larree Renda.