(QUINCY MA) – The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC and Giant Food LLC are supporting the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes’ efforts to provide local War on Terror Veterans with the help they need to re-establish normal lives.

Beginning June 26 th, customers at most Stop & Shop and Giant stores will have an opportunity to assist severely wounded War on Terror veterans by purchasing “Hero Bands,” wristbands emblazoned with an American Flag motif. The bands will be on sale in Stop & Shop and Giant stores from June 26 – July 9 and will cost $2 each. All of the proceeds from Hero Band sales will go to the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, a non-profit organization providing aid to severely wounded War on Terror veterans. Funds will aid veterans in the states where Stop & Shop and Giant operate.

Hero Bands will be available at all Stop & Shop and Giant stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C.

The donations collected will provide disability-adapted homes for war heroes, emergency financial aid, family support services, job training and placement services, and annual recovery conferences. Hero Bands can also be purchased at the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes web site, www.saluteheroes.org.

"Proudly displaying a Hero Band not only shows your concern for America’s wounded heroes but helps provide important services and support. Their sacrifices will last forever. So should our gratitude," said Roger Chapin, founder and volunteer president of the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes.

Marc Smith, CEO of Stop & Shop and Giant stores said, "This is more than a worthy cause; it is an opportunity for us to give back in some small way a measure of the recognition and gratitude we owe to America’s Heroes, who have given so much of themselves for us. It is an opportunity for the public and all of us at Stop & Shop and Giant to say 'thank you' to selfless wounded veterans who were proud to stand up against terror."

The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes (www.saluteheroes.org) is currently offering several programs:

• Homes for Wounded Heroes offers nearly cost-free, new or renovated disability-adapted homes to wheelchair-bound or severely disabled servicemen and women who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
   
• Hire a Hero reaches out through a network of organizations to help prepare and place motivated, qualified veterans in quality jobs.
   
• Family Support Network offers special services to help relieve financial and emotional burdens these heroes and their families face while struggling to rebuild their lives.
   
• Emergency Financial Aid program provides urgent financial assistance to disabled veterans who are financially strapped and have a significant, immediate monetary commitment to fulfill.
   
• Road to Recovery Conference and Tributes are all-expense paid events for wounded servicemen and women and their families that both honor their sacrifices and help disabled heroes gain access to different services offered by the government and non-profits.

About Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC, based in Quincy, Massachusetts, employs more than 58,000 associates and operates 360 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey.

About Giant Food
Giant Food LLC, headquartered in Landover, MD, operates 203 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, and employs more than 25,000 associates. Giant stores in New Jersey and Delaware operate under the Super G name. Included within the 203 stores are 174 full-service pharmacies.