December 2003

Companies Donate $25,000 to Help Keep America Beautiful

Cincinnati, OH— The Kroger Co. and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company will donate $25,000 to Keep America Beautiful, Inc. and its local participating organizations in support of the Great American Cleanup™ program and its mission of motivating citizens to take individual responsibility for maintaining cleaner, healthier and safer communities.

The check will be presented from Kroger by Mike Brooks, director of general merchandising and Jeff Talbot, vice president of general merchandising for Kroger, and Greg Van Hollen, Kroger team leader for Wrigley, to Gail Cunningham, vice president of Keep America Beautiful, Inc, and managing director of the Great American Cleanup™.

Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™, the nation’s largest community improvement program, is held annually from March-May, with activities taking place in all 50 states. President George W. Bush served as the 2003 Honorary Chair of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™. This spring, more than two million volunteers participated in over 30,000 events in more than 14,000 communities coast-to-coast, picking up litter, painting over graffiti, beautifying parks, refurbishing public playgrounds, cleaning up waterways and shorelines, conducting clothes collections and recycling activities, abating graffiti, clearing illegal dumpsites, and hosting litter-free events.

In addition to Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Kroger’s participation, this year’s Great American Cleanup™ volunteers’ efforts were supported by national sponsors: Pepsi-Cola Company, GAIN® Laundry Detergent, LYSOL® Brand Products, Film-Gard® Plastic Sheeting, Waste Management, Inc., AT&T Wireless, Yahoo! Mail, Ruffies® Trash Bags, Firestone Tire & Service Centers & ExpertTire & Tires Plus, Yard-Man by MTD, The Home Depot® and all TV Guide® media platforms; Retail Sponsor: Hy-Vee, Inc.; Educational Partners: America Online and Rubber Manufacturers Association.