PRESIDENT'S CHOICE® CHILDREN'S CHARITY AWARDS $2.6 MILLION TO BREAKFAST FOR
LEARNING FOR THE 2010/2011 SCHOOL YEAR

Award part of overall donation and four year commitment of $7.2 Million

BRAMPTON, ON, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - As part of a $7.2 million donation to Breakfast for Learning announced earlier this year, President's Choice^® Children's Charity is awarding $2.6 million to the organization to fund 5,000 programs across Canada for the 2010/2011 school year.  These funds will support 2,700 education and research programs and 2,300 nutrition grants that aim to give students access to healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks. Loblaw Companies Limited's (Loblaw) corporate and participating franchise stores have partnered with schools in their local community to assist with their nutrition programs.

"We know that good nutrition is a cornerstone to help ensure healthy children and well-nourished students learn better. This donation is one of the ways that President's Choice^® Children's Charity is committed to providing the resources necessary to encourage a culture of healthy active kids," said Galen G. Weston, chair of President's Choice^® Children's Charity and executive chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited.

Research shows that well-nourished students show improved memory, problem-solving skills and creative abilities - overall, they perform better in school.  Together with generous supporters like President's Choice^® Children's Charity, Breakfast for Learning's funds serve more than 267,000 children across the country. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Breakfast for Learning works in partnership with Kids Eat Smart Foundation and in Quebec, Breakfast for Learning provides funding to Club des petits déjeuners, in addition to providing direct program funding in both provinces.

"President's Choice^® Children's Charity's generous support is so critical to our overall goal of providing children with a healthy start to life by supporting programs that make sure students do not go to school hungry," said Wendy Wong, president and CEO of Breakfast for Learning. "By providing nutritious food for breakfast, lunch and snacks, and by teaching children about the importance of nutrition, together we will help them establish the building blocks for a healthy lifestyle that will last throughout their lives."

As the national premier sponsor of Breakfast for Learning, President's Choice^® Children's Charity's support for the organization is just one part of the Charity's vision of improving the lives of children across Canada. President's Choice^® Children's Charity is also dedicated to helping children who are physically or developmentally challenged. Families can receive individual grants of up to $20,000 to assist with the costs of equipment, home accessibility, respite care, developmental and physical therapy and accessible vehicles. In 2009, the Charity granted more than $8.9 million to more than 1,600 families with children with disabilities across Canada.

Loblaw is committed to being active in communities at the local, regional and national levels and the Company views this as an integral component to the success of its business. A commitment to Make a Positive Difference in Our Communities is one of five Loblaw corporate social responsibility principles that shape Loblaw's approach to business.  The other social responsibility principles include Respect the Environment, Source with Integrity, Reflect our Nation's Diversity and Be a Great Place to Work.

About Breakfast for Learning
Breakfast for Learning was founded in 1992 as the first and most comprehensive national organization in Canada dedicated to the direct support of school nutrition programs and the healthy development of children and youth. Having served over 300 million meals to date, Breakfast for Learning continues to utilize a community development model with over 30,000 volunteers who deliver breakfast, lunch and/or snack programs across the country. For more information about Breakfast for Learning and its partnership with President's Choice^® Children's Charity visit www.breakfastforlearning.ca.

About President's Choice^® Children's Charity
President's Choice^® Children's Charity is dedicated to helping children who are physically or developmentally challenged. Our aim is to remove some of the obstacles that make everyday living extremely difficult and to provide these young people with a renewed sense of dignity, independence and freedom.  President's Choice^® Children's Charity also addresses hunger and is the National Premier Sponsor of Breakfast for Learning. Cost of administration and operations of the charity is funded by Loblaw Companies Limited, ensuring that 100 per cent of every dollar donated goes directly to helping kids and their families.  The Charity offers funding across Canada and dollars are granted in the region in which they are raised.  Since 1989, the charity has awarded more than $46 million, reaching more than 6,500 families. For more information on the President's Choice^® Children's Charity or to donate online, visit www.pc.ca/charity.

About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ over 138,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President's Choice^®, no name^® and Joe Fresh Style^® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial^® services and offers the PC^® points loyalty program.

For further information:

Loblaw Public Relations Department
Phone: [phone] Email: [email protected]