Anheuser-Busch Employees and Wholesalers Partner With American Red Cross to Assemble Emergency Care Kits

Brewer is donating $25,000 to support the volunteer effort in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 27, 2012) - More than 150 Anheuser-Busch employees and wholesalers from across the country are partnering with the American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter to assemble emergency care kits, which are gift bags filled with travel-size personal care items to be distributed to families in need when disaster strikes.

Anheuser-Busch employees and its wholesalers traveled to New Orleans for the company's annual sales convention Feb. 27-29.  Volunteerism has become a tradition at the national meetings, as the team believes in the importance of making a difference in the communities where its people live and work.

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation also is donating $25,000 to help fund the effort to package shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant and other necessities into kits that would sustain an individual or family for several days in case of a house fire or weather-related event.

"When families are in need, the American Red Cross is a stabilizing force providing a variety of emergency services and Anheuser-Busch is proud to continue supporting the efforts to help New Orleans residents," said Margarita Flores, vice president of Corporate Affairs for Anheuser-Busch.  "Our employees and wholesalers are committed to answering the call and helping serve communities across the country."

In addition to the New Orleans initiative, Anheuser-Busch is the founding sponsor of the American Red Cross Ready Rating Program through a $2.1 million grant.  The program helps schools and businesses with their emergency planning and preparedness efforts to help them face a number of emergencies that could disrupt their operations, ranging from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods to outbreaks of illness, such as the flu.

For years, Anheuser-Busch has also partnered with the American Red Cross to distribute emergency canned drinking water following natural and other disasters.  The water is packaged at the company's Cartersville, Ga. brewery, and since 1988 more than 71 million cans have been donated to victims and rescue personnel in a time of need.  In addition, the company also supports the American Red Cross through hosting several blood drives annually, recognizing that it provides half of the nation's blood supply.

"We are thrilled to partner with Anheuser-Busch employees and wholesalers, who are providing valuable financial support, and are also taking action to help us better support our communities," said Kay Wilkins, CEO American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter.  "Our organization would not exist without volunteers and the financial support of donors like Anheuser-Busch.  Each person's contribution makes a lasting impact for families in New Orleans."

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation''s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

The American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter serves more than 1.6 million people throughout Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, Assumption, Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes. For more information, visit http://www.arcno.org/.

For more than 100 years, Anheuser-Busch and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation have reached out to groups in need, contributing to community organizations across the country and touching countless individual lives.  Since 1997, the company and its foundation have donated nearly $475 million to charitable organizations, including those that support education, the environment, economic development, disaster preparedness/relief and support of those who serve our country.  For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.