Safeway Kicks Off Annual Companywide Breast Cancer Fundraising Campaign

Safeway Inc. and The Safeway Foundation have launched their annual chain-wide October Breast Cancer Awareness fundraising initiative.

The groups said that funds used from past campaigns helped to create two new research projects that could change the face of cancer clinical trials and bring new treatments to patients quicker, more efficiently and effectively than ever before, the group noted in a release.

Safeway, a corporate funding source for cancer research, and its Safeway Foundation philanthropic arm, partnered with cancer scientists from government, the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy groups, and some of the most respected cancer centers in the country to address the stumbling blocks that medical professionals say hinder the development of new breast cancer treatments: faster, more efficient clinical trials, and medicines that are designed to work better in individual patients.

"It is gratifying to see our fundraising dollars bear fruit," said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive Vice President, Chief Strategist and Administrative Officer and Chair of the Safeway Foundation. "We have teamed up with some of North America's premier cancer centers and we are beginning to see some encouraging results."

Safeway said that it has raised nearly $60 million for breast cancer research since 2001. During October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the company will add significantly to that number through a range of additional fundraising programs at its local stores.

The funds are donated to promising research projects at various research facilities throughout North America, including:

- Arizona: Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, The University of Arizona, Tucson

- California: The Carol Franc Buck Breast Cancer Center at the University of California San Francisco, The University of California at Davis, Irvine and San Diego, The Revlon Women's Cancer Research Program at UCLA, University of Southern California

- Canada: The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

- Colorado: The Anschutz Breast Cancer Unit at the University of Colorado, The Susan G. Komen Foundation

- Illinois: The Lurie Breast Cancer Unit at Northwestern University

- Maryland: The Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University

- Oregon: Providence Cancer Center

- Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania

- Texas: The Nellie B. Connally Breast Cancer Center at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

- Washington: The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

The company operates stores under the Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Carrs and Pak 'N Save banners.

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