E-Malt.com News article: USA: Anheuser Busch donates $500,000 to those affected by South California wildfire

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation announced today that it is donating $500,000 to The American Red Cross to aid relief efforts for victims of the Southern California wildfires, according to company’s press release, October 25.

Nearly 1 million residents of Southern California have been forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters continue to battle raging wildfires. Red Cross employees and volunteers have been on the ground helping with relief efforts since the fires began on Sunday, Oct. 21. Thousands of evacuees are taking refuge in Red Cross shelters set up in areas outside the threatened neighborhoods. In addition, the organization has provided tens of thousands of blankets, cots and prepackaged meals to displaced residents in need.

“The fires continue to devastate those who have lost loved ones and the many whose homes, investments and life’s memories have been destroyed,” said August A. Busch IV, president and chief executive officer of Anheuser‑Busch Cos. “We hope our donation can bring some relief to these families and to the brave firefighters and emergency workers who are doing so much and need everyone’s support.”

In addition to providing monetary support, Anheuser-Busch is donating more than 500,000 cans of drinking water and nearly 15,000 cans of 180 Energy drinks for the victims of the fires and relief workers. The supplies are being shipped to independent and company-owned wholesalers in Southern California and will be distributed by relief agencies.

“Many of our employees at our brewery and wholesalers in Southern California have left their homes as part of the evacuation,” Busch said. “We will continue to provide support to these efforts as long as there is a need.”

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anheuser-Busch Cos., a St. Louis‑based corporation with subsidiaries that include the leading U.S. brewer, one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of aluminum beverage containers and one of the largest theme park operators in the United States.

Anheuser-Busch and its charitable foundation have reached out to groups that need them, contributing to community organizations across the country and touching countless individual lives. During the past decade, the company and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation have donated more than $330 million to charitable organizations, including those that support education, health care, the arts, cultural enrichment, social services and environmental conservation.


26 October, 2007