8.01.2006 - 03:06pm ET

(CSRwire) PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 2006--Safeway Inc.
(NYSE:SWY) announced today the launch of a five-week fundraising campaign to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Through Labor Day, more than 1,500 Safeway and Safeway-owned stores across the United States have set a goal to raise $3.6 million through various fundraising efforts.

Safeway is a long-time supporter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and over the years has raised more than $25 million for MDA's fight against neuromuscular diseases.

"MDA is a lifeline to people with neuromuscular diseases and to their families," said Larree Renda, Safeway Executive Vice President, Chief Strategist and Administrative Officer and Chair of the Safeway Foundation. "We are proud to support an organization that continues to fund groundbreaking research and provides real hope for more effective treatment and ultimately a cure for this family of diseases."

During the campaign, Safeway will provide customers with multiple opportunities to contribute through a range of in-store fundraising activities, including MDA's long-standing Aisles of Smiles program.

Checkstands at all Safeway and Safeway-owned stores in the U.S. will be equipped with point-of-sale materials that provide customers a convenient way to contribute to the cause -- this includes all stores under the Safeway banner, including Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Carrs, and Pavilions. The company will also post the familiar Aisles of Smiles shelf tags on a broad selection of participating national brands. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these products will go directly to MDA.

Muscular dystrophy is a term that refers to a group of hereditary muscle-destroying disorders. Some of the more familiar types include Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy that strikes children -- and ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, an adult onset motor neuron disorder. More than 40 types strike from birth to the later stages of life -- many are fatal.
All are debilitating.

MDA combats these diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive medical and community services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA has more than 200 offices across the country, sponsors 230 hospital-affiliated clinics and supports nearly 400 research projects around the world.

About Safeway

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The company operates 1,770 stores in the United States and Canada and had annual sales of $38.4 billion in 2005. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock exchange under the symbol SWY.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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