IGA ANNOUNCES HOMETOWN PROUD MARKETING EVENT CONSUMER ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS

CHICAGO, IL - IGA today announced the consumer essay contest winners from the second annual Hometown Proud marketing event, which was held in participating IGA stores across the country April 25-May 8, 2004. The marketing event served the dual purpose of promoting the necessity of fire safety education, while honoring the heroism of those who keep our IGA communities on the leading edge of fire prevention.

For Hometown Proud 2004, IGA partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help communicate the IGA event to fire houses across America. Red Oval Family partners Kraft Foods, The Coca-Cola Company, Campbell Soup Company, LEGO Systems, Inc., and Timex Corporation sponsored the marketing event.
The event was centered on the Hometown Proud 2004 essay contest. Participating families were asked, in 200 words or less, to answer the essay question "How Does Your Hometown Proud Family Contribute to Community Fire Safety?"

Contestants’ essays reflected a number of different fire safety practices, ranging from in- home precautions to the teaching of fire safety education.

Grand Prize Winner:
Awarded a family trip to Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla., in October and $1,000 check to be donated to the winner’s local volunteer fire department

Rebecca Pogue, shopper from Hartford, Ky., based Bob’s IGA Foodliner

First Place Winners:
Awarded open-ended family ticket packages to the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn., as well as $1,000 checks to be donated to each winner’s local volunteer fire department

Heather Carman, shopper from Coolidge, Ariz., based Shope’s IGA

Andrew Davidson, shopper from New Tazewell, Tenn., based Hometown IGA

Irene R. Davis, shopper from Guilford, Maine, based Goulette’s IGA

Joan Maricle, shopper from St. Charles, Mo., based Mid-Towne IGA

Amey Pennington, shopper from London, Ky., based E.C. Porter IGA

Donna Tilson-Capps, shopper from Stevensville, Mont., based Kutter’s IGA

“When we began working with FEMA on this marketing event we had very little idea just how successful the outcome would be,” said George Beaver, IGA area director and event coordinator. “Our IGA stores rallied behind the cause, as did the communities they serve. The Hometown Proud event has provided tangible proof of just how important volunteer fire departments are to Hometown Proud communities. We at IGA would like to thank and congratulate the winners of our Hometown Proud essay contest and salute them for their dedicated efforts to promote fire safety within their communities.”

IGA, the only global supermarketer based in the United States, is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $21 billion per year. The Alliance includes more than 4,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36 distribution companies and more the 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA ranks in the top 10 in world food supermarketing. IGA has operations in 48 of the United States and more than 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.