JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - (Business Wire) Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:WINN) has launched a multi-faceted program, Touching Lives for a Better Tomorrow, to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer and at the same time raise money to provide treatment and find a cure for the disease
— the most common cancer in women. Winn-Dixie
’s month-long program involves four components:
- ACS Donation Program — customers can make a donation to the American Cancer Society at checkout;
- Making Strides Against Cancer — Winn-Dixie is title sponsor of 28 races across Florida and the inaugural event in Mobile, Ala.;
- In-Store Awareness — the grocer will feature pink flowers, bakery products with pink icing and many vendor products showing support for breast cancer awareness;
- National Breast Cancer Foundation — partnering with several vendors, Winn-Dixie is replicating last year’s breast cancer program that raised $250,000. This year’s donation will be announced in early November.
As part of its observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Jacksonville-based grocer is partnering with the American Cancer Society (ACS). Winn-Dixie has launched a donation program that allows customers to contribute any amount between 50 cents and $500 directly to the American Cancer Society during the checkout process. The customer tells the cashier how much he or she wants to donate and the cashier scans a barcode, which automatically adds that amount to the customer’s total bill.
Winn-Dixie also is sponsor of “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer,” a noncompetitive walk to raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer. The average distance of each walk ranges from five kilometers (3.1 miles) to five miles, depending upon the location. Winn-Dixie is sponsor of 28 “Making Strides” walks throughout Florida in October and also is sponsoring the first “Making Strides” event in Alabama, on Oct. 25 in Mobile. Participants can register on the day of the event or sign up online at www.cancer.org/stridesonline.
“Last year we raised $5.4 million through “Making Strides,” and we hope to surpass that this year,” said Linda Kay O’Reilly, “Making Strides” director for ACS’s Florida Division.
Money raised through the ACS Donation program and “Making Strides” is used specifically to fund research for a cure, local programs and services to women, awareness and education campaigns, and advocacy programs. According to ACS, one in eight women will get breast cancer in her lifetime, and the risk increases with a woman’s age. It is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54.
“Winn-Dixie has a long history of working with the American Cancer Society, and that partnership continues to save lives,” said Terry Grooms Derreberry, Winn-Dixie’s manager of corporate donations. “Because of early detection efforts and treatment, more than 1.7 million American women who have had breast cancer are still with us. It’s an important fight, and we’re committed to helping find a cure.”
Throughout October, Winn-Dixie customers will be reminded to “think pink” during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Winn-Dixie’s floral departments will feature different pink flowers each week, the in-store bakeries will have freshly prepared pink baked items.
Proceeds from sales of participating products from General Mills, Riverdale Farms, Passion Farms, Dole, Dole Fresh Flowers, Sanderson Farms, Hormel, Kimberly Clark, Rayovac, Bayer, Flowers, Advantage, Smucker’s, Dial, Sun Light, Procter & Gamble, La Croix, Coke, Welch’s, Kraft, Ocean Spray, Sara Lee, Acosta, Edy’s, Unilever, Hormel Chicken, Crossmark, Hershey, Wrigley, Viva, Kleenex, Hefty, Chinet, Welch’s, Celestial Tea, Nestle, and Folgers will help support the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow” program.
Last year, Winn-Dixie and its vendors donated $250,000 to the foundation, with the funds helping provide education and free mammograms to women who cannot afford the life-saving screenings.
“Until there’s a cure, the best fight against breast cancer is awareness and focused resources,” said Grooms Derreberry. “All this month, Winn-Dixie and its customers are raising awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection, providing mammograms for women who couldn’t afford them, and funding research that will lead to a cure.”
About Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., is one of the nation’s largest food retailers. Founded in 1925, the Company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. The Company currently operates 521 retail grocery locations, including more than 400 in-store pharmacies, in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi. For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
Robin Lake Miller, 904-370-7715 or 904-327-1445 (cell)
robinmiller@winn-dixie.com
or
St. John & Partners
Patrick McSweeney, 904-596-2085 or 904-923-4871 (cell)
patrickm@sjp.com
