Community News
Grocery and Drug Chains Give Back to Communities
By
Sep 27, 2005, 22:32

(NUI) - Some of the nations largest food and drug stores are taking big steps to help communities. CVS, Eckerd and Albertson's are all involving themselves in the neighborhoods around their stores and giving their businesses a more "local" feel.

CVS pharmacy is taking action by working with Covering Kids, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program is designed to communicate the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage for uninsured children.

CVS wants people to know that most uninsured children are eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage. This coverage is available in every state and the District of Columbia through the State Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid.

Next, Eckerd is focusing on helping children by raising more than $140,000 to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The mission of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

"Eckerd believes strongly in giving back to the communities in which we operate our neighborhood drug stores, and through our sponsorship of JDRF, we will help raise much needed funds for diabetes research that will ultimately help countless children with this disease," said Wayne Harris, Eckerd chairman and chief executive officer.

In yet another community

inspired move, Albertson's has intensified its energy conservation efforts to ensure the children of today have a clean environment tomorrow. The chain is reducing its energy consumption by 10 percent in a program that received special accolades from the Environmental Protection Agency.

"Energy conservation is good business, and it's also an integral part of our commitment to protect the environment as we make life easier for our customers, our associates and the neighborhoods in which our stores are located," said Glenn Barrett, senior energy manager of Albertson's.

In order to reduce energy consumption, Albertson's has installed the USA Technologies (OTC BB: USTT) VendingMiser to control vending machine plug loads and PlugMiser to reduce consumption of hot plate plastic wrappers at a targeted number of Albertson's stores from coast to coast. These devices use power control technology to regulate the energy consumption, saving the user energy and money.

"We estimate that the plug control energy systems installed by Albertson's could reduce its vending machine power consumption by more than 40 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 1,700 pounds, per machine, per year," said George R. Jensen Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of USA Technologies.

For information on saving energy and money with these products, go to www.usatech.com.

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