Safeway 'Celebrity Cereal' Boxes Introduced Nationwide
Safeway Cereal Boxes Feature Mark McGwire

PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1999--Safeway teamed with Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals historic home run king, for an exclusive opportunity to lend financial support for Tony La Russa's (Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team) Bay Area Animal Rescue Foundation. Funds directed to Tony La Russa's ARF will be generated from 15% of the sale price on each box of Safeway Toasted Oats sold in Safeway stores nationwide. Funds raised from the direct sales of the cereal will be sent to support ARF's programs which foster interaction between people and animals. The programs include efforts to keep terminally ill people and their animals together, pet assisted therapy at acute care and senior care facilities, animal visits to abused children and a battered pet program.

Safeway's Toasted Oats cereal box will feature a first-ever product endorsement in private label store brand foods. Safeway Toasted Oats is consistently one of Safeway's leading cereal items in all markets. The cereal boxes will be available on a limited basis to all Safeway and Vons (Southern California) stores in the United States beginning October 4, 1999 when the boxes hit the shelves. Product will only be available for an eight week period or until supplies last. This limitation on the sale of the item will be sure to generate interest in collectors.

ARF will expand its base in Walnut Creek with a new 32,500 square-foot adoption and education center that is expected to be complete in 2001. La Russa's long-term vision is for his animal rescue efforts to become a national operation. ``The next logical step,'' states La Russa, ``is to have an impact beyond our community. The funds raised from the sale of the Safeway Brand of Toasted Oats with Mark McGwire on the cover will help us reach more people and animals and to extend our goals nationally.''

Currently Safeway offers over 2500 Safeway Brand items and 900 premium quality Safeway SELECT items in Safeway stores. Safeway is one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America. The company operates 1,656 stores in the United States and Canada. In addition to contributions to food banks totaling $50 million over the last five years, the company is a national sponsor of the Easter Seals Society, and has raised over $60 million to help people with disabilities since 1986. The company is also a major supporter of education, contributing nearly $20 million to schools in its market areas annually.