ATLANTA (January 23, 2012) – Kroger and the American Cancer Society will partner Sunday, February 5 through Saturday February 18 to fight cancer. During the two-week campaign, Kroger will urge its customers to donate to the Society and purchase $1 Relay For Life “footprint” icons at Kroger checkouts.
“The American Cancer Society is thrilled for the opportunity to have generous support from Kroger’s customers and associates,” says Randy Redner, the Society’s Vice President for Georgia. “Kroger knows cancer touches so many people and affects so many lives in the communities it serves. With this fundraising campaign, Kroger is taking action to fight cancer and advance the American Cancer Society’s quest to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays for everyone.”
All 215 stores in Kroger’s Atlanta Division – which includes locations in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Eastern Tennessee– will participate in the campaign.
“Almost everyone knows someone – a wife, father, brother, sister, grandparent or friend – who has been affected by cancer,” says Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger’s Atlanta Division. “With more than 1.5 million new cancer cases diagnosed each year, Kroger is committed to raising awareness and support for those whose lives have been changed by this disease.”
The “footprint” campaign with Kroger is an extension of the Society’s Relay For Life, a signature fundraising event, that takes place in more than 5,000 communities nationwide and abroad. There are 159 Relay events every year in Georgia.
Relays bring together everyone in a community – businesses, churches, schools, civic organizations, cancer survivors and caregivers – for an overnight event filled with inspiration and fun. They are held at schools or other locations with tracks for teams to walk around while raising funds and awareness to fight cancer.
Every Relay begins with cancer survivors taking the first lap around a track while other participants cheer them on. After dark, each Relay features a reverent luminary ceremony, with hundreds of candles lit in celebration of those who have survived cancer and in remembrance of those who have lost their battles. The event ends the next morning with closing ceremonies.
For more information on the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org or go to www.relayforlife.org for information on Relay For Life or to find a Relay near you.
About Kroger
Kroger’s Atlanta Division is headquartered in Atlanta and is one of the Southeast’s largest retail grocery chains with more than 215 stores covering Georgia, Eastern Tennessee, Northern Alabama and South Carolina. The Company focuses its charitable efforts on hunger relief, K-12 education, women’s health initiatives and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in Americawho have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.