Bloom Supermarkets in Charlotte Area “Helping Kids Bloom” by Donating $43,500 to Local Food Bank
Salisbury, NC (1/30/2009)

NEWS
Contact:    Karen Peterson
            704-633-8250, ext. 3919
            kspeterson@foodlion.com

January 28, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bloom Supermarkets in Charlotte Area “Helping Kids Bloom”
by Donating $43,500 to Local Food Bank
Store manager dons dress and lipstick, kisses pig for a good cause

(Fort Mill, S.C.) – Charlotte area Bloom supermarkets presented a $43,567 check to representatives from Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina at its Fort Mill Bloom store today. The funds were raised by six Charlotte area Bloom stores through its, “Helping Kids Bloom” initiative during the holidays and will be used to help Charlotte area children in need.
Bloom’s, “Helping Kids Bloom” program partnered with Feeding America and raised a total of $133,557 for local food banks in four states. Feeding America works as a nationwide facilitator for the distribution of funds to local, affiliate food banks.
The festivities started today when Fort Mill Bloom Store Manager, Mike Sweat, donning a dress and lipstick, kissed a pig in front of the store as a dare to help raise money. “I wanted to do something to encourage more donations and I think this definitely did just that,” remarked Sweat. “People came out to see if I would really do it, so I had to follow through.”
 During these tough and uncertain economic times, Bloom has used its resources to raise funds among its associates and guests to help others in the community who are in need of food and other necessities. Shoppers were given the option at check-out to have one, three or five dollars added to their total order to be donated to the local Feeding America food bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
Second Harvest of Metrolina will use the funds to support their Kids Café program. Kids Café provides backpacks full of nutritious snacks to help children who would otherwise go without meals outside of school.
Bloom (www.shopbloom.com) is a banner of Food Lion, LLC, a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). Bloom operates stores in North and South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
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