CINCINNATI, Nov. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This
Veterans Day, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:
KR) announced a $3.2 million
contribution to the USO. This donation is made possible through the
company's Honoring Our Heroes campaign, a commitment Kroger made to
veterans, military service members and their families.
$1 million of this donation is a
corporate donation from Kroger. Coca Cola and the generosity of
customers and associates who contributed at check stands, purchased
special gift cards to be delivered to USO centers, or donated
online contributed the remaining $2.2
million.
"This Veterans Day, Kroger extends
a heartfelt thank you to the United
States veterans, military service members and their
families," said Jessica Adelman,
Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs. "We are proud
to support our military service members in every way that we can –
including making meals matter and hiring more than 43,000 veterans
since 2009."
Since 2010, Kroger has donated more than $21 million to the USO, making Kroger's donation
the largest cumulative gift to the USO in its 76-year history.
"The USO is honored by the ongoing commitment Kroger has shown
to military service members and their families," said Lisa Anastasi, USO chief development officer and
senior vice president of development. "From hiring veterans to
serving meals to our troops and their families, Kroger is fueling
the future of our military as a Force Behind the Forces."
Kroger is increasing its commitment to service members by
partnering with the USO on its USO Pathfinder℠ program. Pathfinder
extends the USO's mission of connection by assisting service
members and their families in achieving their personal and
professional goals as they transition from military service and
return home to their new communities.
Throughout the month of November, Kroger is also partnering with
Wrigley's to continue support to the USO. For each pack of
Wrigley's Extra® Gum purchased at Kroger's family of stores, one
pack will be donated to the USO to be included in care packages for
deployed service members. For every share of this video, Extra® Gum
will donate $1 to the USO, up to a
maximum of $25,000.
About the USO:
The USO strengthens America's military
service members by keeping them connected to family, home and
country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of
locations worldwide, we are united in our commitment to connect our
service members and their families through countless acts of
caring, comfort, and support. The USO is a private, nonprofit
organization, not a government agency. Our programs, services and
entertainment tours are made possible by the American people,
support of our corporate partners and the dedication of our
volunteers and staff.
In addition to individual donors and corporate sponsors, the USO
is supported by President's Circle Partners: AT&T, Bob &
Dolores Hope Foundation, The Boeing Company, Clark Construction
Group, LLC, The Coca-Cola Company, FedEx, Harris Teeter, Jeep, Johnson & Johnson,
Kroger, NFL, Southern New Hampshire
University and Four-Star Partners: Altria, BBMC, BIC,
ConAgra Foods, GEICO, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Prudential,
Target, TKS, USAA and the Wawa Foundation. We are also supported
through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381).
To join us in this important mission, and to learn more about the
USO, please visit uso.org.
About Kroger
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to
our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are 450,000
associates who serve nearly nine million customers daily in 2,793
retail food stores under a variety of local banner
names in 35 states and the District
of Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding
ClickList offering – a personalized order online service – in
addition to 2,258 pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine
jewelry stores, 222 retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel
centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been
recognized as one of America's most generous companies for our
support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast
cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and
more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a
leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of
the Billion Dollar Roundtable.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.