Safeway raises $18.6 million in October drive for breast cancer research

PLEASANTON, Calif. Safeway announced Friday that its October campaign to collect monies for breast cancer research and prevention brought in a total of $18.6 million for the cause. Safeway will donate the money to more than 12 leading research centers, the company has said.

Larree Renda, executive vice president of Safeway and chair of the Safeway Foundation said, “Our customers, employees and suppliers continue to inspire us with their generosity and dedication to the cause of finding a cure for breast cancer. This kind of exceptional fundraising result gives us an even greater opportunity to team up with some of the most innovative research institutions focused on ultimately finding a cure for this devastating disease.”

Some of the cancer research centers that will receive part of the $18.6 million raised include the Revlon Women’s Cancer Research Program at UCLA and City of Hope in California, the Susan G. Komen Foundation in Colorado, the Lurie Breast Cancer Unit at Northwestern University and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University in Illinois,  and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Washington, Safeway said.

The company also said that over the past eight years, through donations from customers and employees and the sales of specially-marked items at its stores, Safeway has raised nearly $60 million for breast cancer research.