Safeway and Melissa Etheridge partner up for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Safeway has partnered up with musician and breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge to launch a month-long campaign to encourage women to receive mammogram and examination screenings, the company announced Monday.

In honor of this year’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Safeway and Etheridge will reach out to millions of customers during the month of October and will try to raise money through in-store activities.

The campaign is also focused on educating women about the detection and prevention of breast cancer, which has been claimed as the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among women. Public service messages will appear during October in a range of different media, including the company’s Web site.

Employees will sponsor various events throughout the country including breast cancer walks, breast cancer screening events, and volunteer activities. This includes sponsoring the Komen Foundation “Race for the Cure” events in multiple major U.S. cities and funding mobile mammogram screening services.

“This important public service campaign will reach millions of women, families and loved ones and make a positive difference by encouraging breast cancer screenings and funding critical research to prevent this disease and find a cure for breast cancer,” Melissa Etheridge said.

During the past six years, Safeway’s annual breast cancer campaign has raised more than $25 million ($8.3 million in 2006) to fund major cancer research programs at major research institutions and hospitals in the North America, the company said.