Safeway “Helping People” Campaign to benefit Special Olympics

Next time you head out to your neighborhood Safeway store for the weekly grocery trip, be sure to set aside some spare change for charity. Throughout the month of April, Safeway’s Portland Division, which includes 116 stores in Oregon and Southwest Washington, will be collecting donations to benefit Easter Seals and Special Olympics. It’s part of Safeway’s “Helping People with Disabilities” fundraising campaign, which continues through Saturday, May 3.

There will be several options available in stores for donors. Perhaps the best place to give is at the check stand, where Safeway customers are offered the opportunity to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar. “We are honored to be part of Safeway’s 2008 campaign in support of people with disabilities. This new partnership will help us in our mission to bring Special Olympics Oregon to the next generation of Oregonians while continuing our work with our current athletes”, said Marc Bourret, Senior Vice President, Marketing, for Special Olympics Oregon.

Full Press Release after the cut.


SAFEWAY CELEBRATES 20 Years of Support for People with Disabilities and
Announces New Partnership with Special Olympics to Expand Reach

Local Safeway Stores and Special Olympics Oregon Partner to promote and benefit people with intellectual disabilities

PLEASONTON, CA – Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY), one of the nation's leading retailers with a commitment to supporting people with disabilities, announced today that it has joined with Special Olympics, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with intellectually disabilities.
"Safeway is proud to lead by example to support people with disabilities," said Safeway Chairman, President and CEO Steve Burd. "Over the past 20 years, Safeway has raised over $100 million in support of people with disabilities through organizations such as Easter Seals and Muscular Dystrophy. Safeway wants to serve even more people with disabilities and believes that if we work with Special Olympics we will reach more people, especially those with intellectual disabilities, the largest disability population in the world. "
“We’re honored to join with Safeway and commend its dedication to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities,” said Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver. “This year, Special Olympics celebrates 40 years of changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, along with creating more harmonious communities in Oregon and around the world. This partnership shows how local businesses and communities can come together to create a place where each person, regardless of ability or disability, is accepted and welcomed and where every individual contributes to the strength and vibrancy of the whole.”

Special Olympics Oregon will be part of a national partnership that covers 21 states in the U.S. in which Safeway does business. Local members of the community will be able to support Special Olympics Oregon at their local Safeway in April as part of a customer fundraising campaign where Safeway shoppers will be asked at checkout if they would like to donate $1 or more to support people with disabilities. Last year’s campaign raised $5.5 million nationally.

About Special Olympics Oregon
Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competition to over 2.5 million adults and children with intellectual disabilities across more than 170 countries. The Special Olympics movement offers one of the world's greatest platforms for acceptance and inclusion for all people--regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or cultural differences. Be a fan and visit www.specialolympics.org.

About Special Olympics Oregon
Special Olympics Oregon, founded in 1972, is a statewide organization serving thousands of individuals with intellectual disabilities through participation in Olympic-style sports. Special Olympics offers people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate year-round in safe, supervised athletic competitions at no cost to the athlete. Through our signature sports programs, athletes gain self-confidence, social competency and other enhanced skills, both physical and social. For more information on how to volunteer, coach, donate or become an athlete please visit www.soor.org

About Safeway
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,738 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $40.2 billion in 2006. Safeway supports a broad range of charitable and community programs and in 2007 donated more than $172 million to important causes, such as cancer research, education, food banks and programs focused on assisting people with disabilities. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. For more information about Safeway, visit www.safeway.com.

CONTACT: Safeway Inc.
Brian Dowling, 925-467-3787
Special Olympics Oregon
Dan Cook, 503-248-0600, ext. 23
SOURCE: Safeway Inc.