Safeway Inc. – Seattle Division - Raises Record $1.3+ Million in Western Washington for Breast Cancer Research and Prevention

The Seattle Division of Safeway Inc., (NYSE:SWY) today announced that it raised $1,324,977.77 for breast cancer research and prevention programs during its annual October fundraising campaign at its Western Washington stores. The company will donate the funds to top cancer centers and researchers in Washington State with reputations for conducting leading-edge research. Safeway will also continue to fund the digital mobile breast cancer screening unit serving women of Washington in an effort to bring this important service in underserved communities.

The success of Safeway’s month-long fundraising campaign was a result of customers, employees and suppliers joining together in making donations to help find a cure and bring awareness to the devastating disease that impacts millions of women and families each year. Since 2001, Safeway’s Seattle Division has raised over $ 8.3 million for breast cancer research efforts.

"Safeway customers and employees have defined what it means to be passionate about something they truly believe in,” stated Cherié Myers, Director of Public & Government Affairs for the Seattle Division of Safeway Inc. "The overwhelming support we received throughout our fundraising campaign only strengthens our commitment to work toward the day when medical research can find a cure for breast cancer. Our donation of $1,324,977.77 from our 117 stores in Western Washington reflects the passion and true spirit of giving shown by our customers and employees who believe the opportunity exists to find a cure within our lifetime.”

In addition to raising funds, this year’s campaign focused on educating women about detection and prevention of breast cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The company reached millions of women through public service messages that appeared in radio commercials, electronic point-of-sale screens, in-store signage, weekly print sales circulars and the www.safeway.com website. Among other items, this year stores sold reusable pink-ribbon grocery bags with the words "Support the Cause." One hundred percent of the proceeds from each bag sold went directly to breast cancer research.

The following cancer and research centers in Western Washington are among the organizations receiving contributions:

• Dr. Peggy Porter - $135,000 - Leader of the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center/UW Cancer Center Program in Breast Cancer Research
• Dr. Jennifer Specht - $50,000 - Medical Oncologist Researching Inflammatory Breast Cancer at UW/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
• Dr. Hannah Linden - $75,000 - Medical Oncologist Researching Breast Cancer in Minority Populations - Harborview Medical Center
• Dr. Stan Riddell and Dr. Lupe Salazar - $150,000 – Medical Oncologists and Laboratory Researchers
• Dr. Peter Neligan - $100,000 - Professor of Surgery & Director, Center for Reconstructive Surgery
• Dr. Tim Kim - $200,000 - Breast Cancer Specialist and Researcher of Inflammatory Breast Cancer – Skagit Valley Hospital. Funds to support Breast Cancer Center at Skagit Valley Hospital.
• University of WA Medical Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Harborview Medical Center - $75,000 ($25,000 to each)
• Dr. Sarah Javid - $25,000 - Assistant Professor Focusing on Breast Surgery
• Susan G. Komen - $200,000 - Mammogram Funding for Latina Women
• Junior Researchers - $50,000 - Pilot Program Funding for Breast Cancer Research through Fred Hutch, UW Medical Center & Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
• Constance D. Lehman, MD, PhD - $300,000 – Director of Breast Imaging at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Funds for operation of mobile mammography van.

Safeway is a corporate leader in supporting cancer causes. To date, the company has raised more than $100 million for breast cancer and prostate cancer research and treatment. The services and outreach made possible by these funds include mobile mammography units that give access to early detection for low-income women and those in remote areas, low-cost prostate cancer screening tests, education and prevention information in various languages, and a web site that helps breast cancer patients find clinical trials for new experimental treatments. In addition, Safeway is one of the largest supporters of programs that help people with disabilities and has raised more than $100 million for respected organizations including Easter Seals, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Special Olympics.

ABOUT SAFEWAY www.Safeway.com

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,738 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $42.3 billion in 2007. The company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. Safeway supports a broad range of charitable and community programs and in 2008 donated more than $248 million to important causes, such as cancer research, education, hunger relief and programs focused on assisting people with disabilities. Safeway is also one of the largest retail purchasers of wind energy, using 57 million kilowatt hours of wind energy, enough to power all 324 Safeway retail fuel stations in the U.S., all stores in San Francisco, California and Boulder, Colorado, as well as all of the company headquarters and all corporate offices in Northern California. Safeway was the first major retailer to join the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world’s first and North America’s only legally binding GHG allowance trading system, and the California Climate Action Registry, which commits the company to reduce its carbon footprint by 6 percent from year 2000 levels.

Safeway has implemented unique energy-saving strategies throughout its manufacturing, distribution and grocery stores by installing new energy-efficient technologies, introducing new maintenance procedures and implementing new sustainable design and construction practices. Additional information about the company’s environmental programs can be found at www.Safeway.com. Click on "About Us” and "Going Green.”