SENIORBOWL.com :: News Room

Food World - Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership and
BI-LO/Bruno’s Corporation Donate $1 Million To
American Red Cross

Half of donation is designated specifically for Hurricane Katrina relief in Southwest Alabama

MOBILE, Ala. (October 29, 2005) -- With the help of the Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership and the BI-LO/Bruno’s Corporation, many victims of Hurricane Katrina are receiving some much-needed relief.

The Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership fulfilled its $500,000 pledge for hurricane disaster relief in southwest Alabama on Saturday, when it presented a check in that amount to the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Left to right: Mobile Arts and Sports Association Chairman Vic Lott, American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter chairperson Virginia Liles, Bruno's Vice President Scott North and Alabama Governor Bob Riley pose with a check which represents the one-million dollar donation made by the Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership and the BI-LO/Bruno's Corporation to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Immediately following the check presentation, Food World, Senior Bowl and BI-LO/Bruno’s Corporation officials also announced that the American Red Cross would receive an additional $500,000 donation, to bring the total given by the organizations for Hurricane Katrina relief to $1 million.

The BI-LO/Bruno’s Corporation and its business partners, the Senior Bowl, the BI-LO Charity Classic, Western Union, and Food World, Bruno’s and BI-LO supermarkets customers raised funds for the donation. Customers were able to contribute to the donation through customer scan Red Cross donation cards, which were available in stores during September and October.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley was in attendance at Saturday’ presentation, and was joined by local elected officials including Mobile Mayor Sam Jones, Mobile City Council President Reggie Copeland and Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean.

“The Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership and BI-LO/Bruno’s Corporation and their outstanding customers have stepped forward during what is a difficult time for many,” said Governor Riley. “On behalf of the citizens of Alabama, I want to express our sincere gratitude for this contribution that will help hurricane victims get their lives back in order.”

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina thundered ashore, devastating parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership announced that it was making a $500,000 minimum pledge to the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter of the Red Cross to be used specifically for disaster relief in southwest Alabama.

“Our customers and employees have historically done a great job in supporting the community, and I want to thank them for their tremendous response to this program which enabled us to achieve the one-million dollar donation,” said Dean Cohagan, President and CEO of BI-LO/Bruno’s. “So many of our customers and associates in southwest Alabama have been affected by the hurricane in various ways and we were very pleased to be able to join with our charitable partner, the Senior Bowl, to generate half of those proceeds for relief directly in Southwest Alabama.”

“We’re very pleased to be able to not only fulfill our pledge for hurricane relief in southwest Alabama, along with our charitable partner Food World, but also be a part of this one-million dollar donation to the American Red Cross,” said Senior Bowl President Steve Hale. “To be able to make such a significant donation to the Red Cross, which continues to play such a critical role in the recovery of the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, is tremendously gratifying.”

All American Red Cross disaster service is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people.

“On behalf of the American Red Cross, we are so thrilled to receive this much needed million dollar gift,” said local Red Cross chairperson Virginia Liles. “When we learned of the $500,000 pledge back in September, we had no idea that the total donation to the Red Cross would be $1 million. I am so heartened to accept the $500,000 gift from Food World and the Senior Bowl for our local chapter that is continuing to provide vital hurricane relief in Southwest Alabama.”

The Senior Bowl is a non-profit organization which produces major sporting national sporting events and other charitable events and activities in the Mobile area each year. Food World currently serves as the presenting sponsor of the Senior Bowl football game each January, as well as the title sponsor of the Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run, scheduled for Saturday, November 5 in downtown Mobile, and other ancillary events held each year.

BI-LO/Bruno’s, with headquarters in Mauldin, SC, currently operates over 400 stores in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, including 73 Food World stores, 20 of those in the Mobile/Pensacola market. The company employs approximately 30,000 employees.

Since 2002, the Food World – Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership has raised more than $1.5 million for Gulf Coast charities.