The ShopKo Foundation Awards $50,000 in Grants

The ShopKo Foundation Awards $50,000 in Grants

Money Distributed to Charitable Organizations in Nine States

GREEN BAY, Wis., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- ShopKo Stores, Inc., through its non-profit ShopKo Foundation, has awarded $48,230 in grants to 19 charitable organizations in nine states.

The newly created non-profit ShopKo Foundation meets on a quarterly basis to consider requests from charitable organizations and groups that meet the Foundation's objectives of supporting initiatives in the areas of health, wellness and education.

Receiving grants from The ShopKo Foundation are:

WISCONSIN

Madison Children's Museum, Madison $10,000 to sponsor The Body Shop: Tune up your Teeth and Bones, a health- and-wellness exhibition developed by the Children's Museum

East Madison Community Center's Learning Center, Madison $2,500 for an after-school education and literacy program for low income, challenged students.

St. Agnes Hospital Foundation, Inc., Fond du Lac $1,000 for health and medical assistance to the rural residents of Dodge and Fond du Lac counties in central Wisconsin.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Green Bay $2,500 for the Green Bay Walk to Cure Diabetes.

MDA of Wisconsin, Green Bay $250 for the MDA Packerland Ride

The Salvation Army, Kenosha $1,000 for "Tools for School" - a direct service project helping to equip school-age children of low-income families with the tools needed to achieve learning success.

NEW Community Shelter, Green Bay $5,000 to support the educational and rehabilitative programs.

The Hunger Task Force of La Crosse, La Crosse $1,000 to support programs to serve the needs of people in the La Crosse region who struggle with food insecurities and/or hunger.

Alzheimer's Support Center, Janesville $1,000 to assist in the planning and implementation of a senior health and wellness fair focused on the senior African American population.

Chippewa Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, Eau Claire $1,080 to support a basic aid safety training program for youth.

ILLINOIS

Arthritis Foundation Telethon, Quincy $400 to support the 20th annual Arthritis Foundation Telethon on WGEM-TV.

UTAH

English Skills Learning Center, Salt Lake City $3,000 to train volunteers to teach English language skills to refugees and immigrants.

South Valley Sanctuary, West Jordan $1,000 to supplement the costs associated with providing life-saving shelter to adult and child victims of domestic violence.

NEVADA

C*A*R*E* Chest of Sierra Nevada, Reno $1,000 to assist people who lack health insurance and/or income to pay for necessary medical supplies and emergency prescriptions.

MONTANA

The Salvation Army, Missoula $500 to provide assistance to the "Tools for School" program which helps give low-income students essential school supplies needed to start the academic year.

MINNESOTA

Project Fine, Winona $1,000 to help this organization dedicated to helping non-English speaking newcomers transition into the Winona community.

WASHINGTON

Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program: Spokane, Union Gap, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Yakima $10,000 to support the children's literacy programs in the Washington ShopKo communities.

NEBRASKA

Camp Kindle, Lincoln, $1,000 to this organization dedicated to address the empowerment of children infected with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS.

SOUTH DAKOTA

American Heart Association, Sioux Falls $5,000 to support the Sioux Falls Health Walk this September.

The ShopKo Foundation's mission is to support those who are working to make our communities better places to live. To make the best use of our resources, the Foundation's work is focused on education, health and wellness.

Non-profit organizations wishing to apply for grants from the ShopKo Foundation may get more information at any ShopKo store or from the company's website at http://www.shopko.com/ .

ShopKo Stores, Inc. is a retailer of quality goods and services headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., with stores located throughout the Midwest, Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions. Retail formats include 140 ShopKo stores, providing quality name-brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services in mid-sized to larger cities; 223 Pamida stores, 116 of which contain pharmacies, bringing value and convenience close to home in small, rural communities; and three ShopKo Express Rx stores, a new and convenient neighborhood drugstore concept. With more than $3.0 billion in annual sales, ShopKo Stores, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SKO. For more information about ShopKo, Pamida or ShopKo Express Rx, visit our Web site at http://www.shopko.com/ .

Source: ShopKo Stores, Inc.

CONTACT: Communications, John Vigeland, +1-920-429-4132, or Amy Anderson, +1-920-429-4328, both of ShopKo Stores

Web site: http://www.shopko.com/

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