NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 5, 2007 — ’Tis the season for giving, and the Memorial Hospital Foundation of Gulfport received a $25,000 gift from the Winn-Dixie Foundation. The donations were part of a five-stop “Better Holidays…Better Communities” tour of the Jacksonville-based grocer’s operating area.
In addition to seven donations in the Gulf Coast, New Orleans and South Louisiana totaling $175,000, the Winn-Dixie Foundation is making similar donations to charities throughout the Southeast, all totaling $900,000.
At a presentation held at Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, Peter Lynch, president, CEO and chairman of the board of Winn-Dixie, assisted by Rita Benson LeBlanc, EVP/Owner of the New Orleans Saints, presented gift-wrapped, oversized $25,000 checks to representatives from:
- Memorial Hospital Foundation, Gulfport
- St. Tammany Hospital Foundation, Covington
- The United Negro College Fund, New Orleans
- Children’s Hospital of New Orleans
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana
- Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank
- University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute, Mobile
“For more than 80 years, Winn-Dixie has been known as the company with a heart,” said Lynch. “Today, we continue that tradition by donating funds from our Foundation to worthy organizations that share our goal of helping to improve the lives of families in the neighborhoods we serve.”
The non-profit Winn-Dixie Foundation was created in 1944 and makes grants to local non-profit organizations focused on hunger, children and youth activities, education and health initiatives. It is funded by The Winn-Dixie Charity Classic presented by Wachovia which was held this year on October 30, and generated $1.425 million.
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., is one of the nation’s largest food retailers, with 521 stores. Founded in 1925, the company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.
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