Local Anheuser-Busch Wholesaler Donates
$50,000 to “After-the-Fire Fund”

SAN DIEGO (Feb. 17, 2004) – Anheuser-Busch Sales of San Diego, an Anheuser-Busch subsidiary, has donated $50,000 to The San Diego Foundation’s “After-the-Fire Fund.” The grant came less than a week after SeaWorld San Diego, another subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch, announced a special free admission program to honor area firefighters, emergency response workers, and individuals and families who lost homes during the Southern California firestorms.

“Even though the fires have stopped burning, Anheuser-Busch recognizes there is still a great need for support in our community,” said Denise Cooper, general manager of Anheuser-Busch Sales of San Diego. “We’re delighted and honored to present this donation to assist San Diego County’s fire recovery efforts through The Foundation’s After-The-Fire Fund.”

As part of the After-the-Fire Fund, Anheuser-Busch’s donation will be used to support nonprofit service organizations working on disaster relief and restoration. The After-The-Fire fund, which has received more than $1.4 million in pledges and donations, is administered by the San Diego Regional Disaster Fund (SDRDF), a supporting group of The San Diego Foundation. To date, The Foundation has distributed $621, 365 in After-The-Fire grants to fire-damaged communities, with more awards coming in the near future.

The SDRDF is made up of two funds: the After-The-Fire Fund and the San Diego Fire Relief Fund that was created by the San Diego Chargers and the Spanos family.

Bob Kelly, president and CEO of The San Diego Foundation said, “The Foundation’s role in the fire recovery efforts is in helping people recover and rebuild. We are finding that fires damage people and communities long after the fire itself is spent. We are facing the ongoing needs of families without homes, people dealing with stress and financial difficulties; and communities struggling to rebuild. Three months after the fires, the needs in the fire-affected areas are still immense.”

“We greatly appreciate the help that Anheuser-Busch has given to the After-The-Fire Fund to help communities recover fully from the wildfire disaster.”

The Foundation does not charge an administrative fee on the fund so that 100 percent of the dollars raised go to San Diego fire rebuilding efforts.

The local Anheuser-Busch wholesaler’s donation is yet another way that the company has provided support to those affected by the October wildfires. During the fires, Anheuser-Busch provided 2,000 cases of canned drinking water to aid the American Red Cross relief efforts in Southern California. In addition, the San Diego wholesaler delivered 200 cases of 180 Sport, a vitamin-enhanced water drink, to firefighters at the 1st Battalion station.

For more information, please contact:
Laura Simanton, 619-814-1362, Laura@sdfoundation.org, The San Diego Foundation
Tina Elliott-Jackson, 314-577-3914, Tina.Elliott-Jackson@Anheuser-Busch.com, Anheuser-Busch