Officials of Safeway Inc. said Wednesday they plan to donate more than 1.8 million meals to needy families and individuals during the upcoming holiday season.

The Pleasanton-based supermarket giant plans to conduct nearly 40 regional food drives in the company's various operating areas throughout the United States, working in cooperation with local food banks and other hunger relief programs.

Supporting such organizations is the largest single component of the company's charitable outreach efforts, according to Larree Renda, a Safeway executive vice president and chairwoman of The Safeway Foundation.

"...The holiday season gives us an important opportunity to help raise awareness of hunger in our communities and to collect food for those who need help this holiday season," Renda said in a statement.

Safeway will conduct food drives in its stores throughout California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Texas, as well as in the Chicago and the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas.

Along with stores in western Canada, the company now operates a total of 1,747 stores and recorded sales of $38.4 billion during fiscal 2005. It donated more than $150 million to a variety of charitable causes last year.

East Bay Business Times - Dec 6, 2006