Skip to main content

Albertsons and Coca-Cola to Donate $125,000 for Black History Month

BOISE, Idaho -- In honor of Black History Month, Albertson's, Inc. here and Coca-Cola are teaming up to make donations to African-American nonprofit organizations nationwide. This year, Albertsons and Coke have pledged to contribute $125,000 to organizations with ties to African-American communities.

The companies have collaborated on Black History Month programs since 2002. This year's donation will be accompanied by special in-store messaging commemorating Black History Month throughout the month of February.

"At Albertsons we believe it is important to celebrate the cultural pride and diverse contributions that make America unique during Black History Month and throughout the year," said Larry Johnston, chairman, c.e.o., and president of Albertsons, in a statement. "We are thrilled that once again this year, in partnership with Coca-Cola, we will be able to provide important funding for local programs that are committed to honoring the accomplishments of African Americans and contribute to the advancement of African Americans in our communities."

The Albertsons/Coca-Cola partnership, now in its fifth year, has resulted in donations of more than $100,000 each year to organizations with ties to the Africa-American community.

"Coca-Cola is proud to partner once again with Albertsons to honor these organizations that are devoted to the preservation and dissemination of African-American history," said Diane Wallace, a customer marketing executive with Coca-Cola North America. "Our Black History Month program contributes to this legacy by recognizing and celebrating the significant contributions of leaders in African-American communities nationwide."

In other Albertsons news, Matthew Ricks, an African-American warehouse employee at Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, this week filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Denver against the chain, claiming that the company allowed minority associates to be subjected to harassment because of their ethnicity, according to an Associated Press Report.

When contacted by Progressive Grocer, however, Patty McMahon, the public information officer at the Denver field office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, noted that the EEOC can't confirm or deny the filing of a bias claim unless the commission decides to file suit. However, about the Ricks/Albertsons matter, she was able to say, "It's not one of ours," adding that she had so far seen only a document expressing intent to file suit, which was supplied to her by a journalist, not an actual filing. According to the report, Ricks' complaint said that the EEOC was planning to file a class action on behalf of African-American and Hispanic Albertsons employees, going back to 1995.

Albertsons told PG it did not comment on pending litigation.
X
This ad will auto-close in 10 seconds