LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unified Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery distributor in the western United States, recently donated fifteen truckloads of grocery items that were displayed at Unified's annual "EXPO" buying event to The Salvation Army, Long Beach and the Weingart Center Association in Los Angeles to help support both organizations' humanitarian work in the community. The event, held specifically for independent retailer members of Unified, was held in Long Beach, California, June 8-9, 2011.
Products donated to the not-for-profit organizations included many of the items found in a typical grocery store, including perishables, regular grocery products and merchandise, health and beauty care items and much more. The products represented the residual stock of vendors who were exhibiting their sales offerings at the show.
Al Plamann, Chief Executive Officer, Unified Grocers, said, "Helping The Salvation Army and the Weingart Center Association eliminate hunger and provide hope for people in need is very important to Unified Grocers and is a centerpiece of our corporate culture. We want to help make our community a better place to live, and we are proud to be able to augment and support the fine efforts of these two well respected organizations."
Aldo Accinelli, Business Administrator, The Salvation Army, Long Beach, said, "We were delighted to be asked by Unified Grocers if we would like any unused items from the show. In total, we were able to provide approximately 20,000 meals for our Adult Rehabilitation Center participants as well as other individuals and families in need at our facilities in Long Beach, Canoga Park and Santa Monica. Some of the grocery and health care items that we received were immediately distributed to more than 140 households in the local community."
The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, Long Beach offers spiritual, social and emotional assistance for men and women who have lost the ability to cope with their problems and provide for themselves.
Andrew Kerr, Manager of Food Services, Weingart Center Association, said, "Within four hours after the show closed, our team had picked up more than three trailers full of perishable items. Many people have already benefitted from this donation. We serve approximately 900 meals each day to the residents of the Weingart Center. We also shared the product with some local missions and other organizations that we partner with that provide meals and food to homeless people and families in need."
The Weingart Center Association helps homeless men and women, break the cycle of homelessness and lead self-sufficient lives by providing on-site transitional housing, case management, substance abuse recovery, mental health treatment, education, workforce development and other services.
About Unified Grocers, Inc.
Founded in 1922, Unified Grocers is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $4 billion in sales during fiscal 2010, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.
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Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future performance of Unified Grocers based on Management's assumptions and beliefs in light of information currently available to it. There are a variety of factors that could cause actual and future results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made above. These factors are outlined in the Company's Form 10-K and other interim reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Furthermore, Unified undertakes no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.