Striking another blow against childhood cancer and its devastating effects on families, Giant Food executives presented a $1 million check on October 21 to Johns Hopkins for pediatric leukemia research.

Now in its fourth year, the Giant Food 2008 Triple Winner Campaign was so successful it reached its goal of $1.5 million one month earlier than expected. Proceeds were distributed to the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Children’s Cancer Foundation, both located in Baltimore, Md.

According to Donald Small, M.D., Ph.D., acting director of the Johns Hopkins Division of Pediatric Oncology, the funds will be used to establish the Giant Food Pediatric Leukemia and Tumor Program. “As federal funds tighten, private donations like these make it possible for us to make progress faster. This new program will allow us to significantly expand our research work in bone and soft tissue sarcomas, brain tumors, bone marrow transplantation and leukemia,” he said.

The Triple Winner Game is a scratch-card promotion in which every ticket can be a winner. It works like this: For a $1 dollar donation, customers receive a ticket to instantly win a free product, a gift card or cash prize of up to $10,000. This year’s campaign ran from April 4 until July 10.

“The Triple Winner Game exemplifies Giant’s long term commitment to supporting cancer research and treatment, “ said Robin Michel, executive vice president and general manager of Giant Food. “We’re committed to helping renowned institutions like Johns Hopkins find a cure, and through our associate, customers, and vendor partners, we have raised more than $20 million to find a cure.”

Ms. Michel added, “This year’s campaign was particularly poignant as a Triple Winner poster child died during the campaign. Both of his parents are Giant Food associates, so it was deeply personal to many of us and underscored the need for our commitment to defeat this disease.”

Giant Food, headquartered in Landover, MD, operates 184 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia and employs approximately 21,000 associates.

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www.giantfood.com