Stater Bros., Coca-Cola, California State Parks Team Up to Reforest Wildfire Areas

Stater Bros. Supermarkets, Coca-Cola, and California state parks yesterday launched “Reforest California,” a campaign to raise much-needed funds for reforestation (www.reforestcalifornia.com) and fire prevention in California state parks hit hard by wildfires over the past six years.

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park near San Diego and Chino Hills State Park in San Bernardino County, two areas heavily impacted by wildfires, will be the primary recipients of the campaign's goal to add 1 million native trees.

"Helping the communities we are privileged to serve is a priority for Stater Bros.,” said Stater Bros. chairman and CEO Jack H. Brown. “Our customers as well as many Stater Bros. employees were and continue to be affected by the recent wildfires in Southern California."

With the slogan "Join the Million Tree Challenge," the campaign urges consumers and private businesses to participate and raise money towards the goal of creating 1,800 acres of newly planted trees. It’s estimated that this could result in $7 million in environmental savings each year, due to energy conservation and reduced pollution. To supplement the campaign's reforestation efforts, the group will implement a fire prevention education program in three other state parks besides Cuyamaca Rancho and Chino Hills: Silverwood Lake, Mount San Jacinto and Palomar Mountain.

To support their local communities, shoppers at Stater Bros. will have the opportunity to make a $1 tax-deductible donation to reforestation efforts at the checkout or online.

"This sustainable project [is] something that has such a long-lasting, positive impact on the local community," said Terence Fitch, VP and GM of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Southern California. "As the local Coca-Cola bottler, we have a long tradition of being involved in the communities in which we do business and feel a strong responsibility to our people and business partners to help make our communities better places to live. Being able to fund a public-interest project like this, despite state budget shortfalls and the current economic downturn, means a lot to our local communities."

The 'Reforest California' campaign in Stater Bros. Supermarkets will run through May 19, 2009.

San Bernardino, Calif.-based Stater Bros. operates 166 supermarkets and employs more than 19,000 associates.
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