Safeway raises more than $10.1 million for prostate cancer research

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Monday announced that its month-long prostate cancer campaign raised nearly $10.1 million as part of the company’s ongoing effort to fund research geared toward finding a cure for the leading cancer affecting men.

“We are grateful to our customers for their extraordinary generosity,” Safeway EVP and chair of the Safeway Foundation Larree Renda said. “Thanks to their contributions, we are funding leading-edge research at some of the nation’s top cancer centers and helping researchers move closer to a cure for prostate cancer. Our employees are important ambassadors for the cause and also deserve a great deal of credit for the success of this effort.”

For more than a decade, Safeway has dedicated the entire month of June to raising funds at its stores, production facilities and corporate offices for prostate cancer research. The company works with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to identify and provide grants for promising research.

Throughout the prostate cancer campaign, the company’s U.S. and Canadian stores provide customers an opportunity to make donations at the checkstand when shopping at their local Safeway, Dominick’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi’s, Vons, Pavilions, Carrs and Pak N Save stores.

Along with prostate cancer research, Safeway is one of the largest corporate supporters of breast cancer research, having raised nearly $94 million for that cause. In addition, the company contributes to a broad range of charitable and community programs and in 2010 raised or donated more than $200 million to education, hunger relief, health and human services, and programs focused on assisting people with disabilities, the grocer stated.