Ralphs Grocery Company Contributes $50,000 to L.A. Mayor's Gun Buy-Back Program
LOS ANGELES, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralphs Grocery Company has teamed up with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City of Los Angeles to get more guns off the streets.
Ralphs recently announced it would contribute $50,000 to Mayor Villaraigosa's citywide gun buy-back effort aimed at reducing the levels of violence in Los Angeles. A component of the Mayor's 2009 Gang Plan, the gun buy-back will reward voluntary surrender of firearms, while engaging communities towards a common goal of reducing gun violence.
The $50,000 donation from Ralphs will be used to purchase $100 and $200 gift cards that will be given to individuals surrendering their firearms to law enforcement with no questions asked.
"Many of our customers and associates have been touched by gun and gang violence. This makes it extremely important that Ralphs join Mayor Villaraigosa and the City of Los Angeles in encouraging people to surrender their firearms," said Kendra Doyel, group vice president of Public Relations and Government Affairs for Ralphs. "We hope that our support of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's gun buy-back campaign will positively influence the reduction of gun accidents and gun violence in our communities."
The gun buy-back program is a partnership of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Department, Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and community faith based organizations. On May 9, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will be at 20 locations throughout the city to accept guns in exchange for gift cards. Guns that are brought back will be melted down and destroyed.
Last year, Ralphs provided more than $8 million in cash and in-kind donations to organizations focused on health, education, the fight against hunger, developing our youth, and the environment.
Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates more than 260 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE: KR), one of the nation's largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com.
