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Ryder System, Inc. Joins the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program

Posted on: Monday, 1 June 2009, 07:00 CDT

$1 million donation will support disaster preparedness and response at national and local level

WASHINGTON, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ryder today announced it is committing $1 million over the next three years through the Ryder Charitable Foundation to support national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts, making it the newest member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO )

This is Ryder's largest national donation to the Red Cross, although the Miami-based company has been a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross. The majority of the $1 million gift, $850,000, will be designated to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and the remaining $150,000 will be directed to the Greater Miami & the Keys chapter.

"In these difficult economic times when the need is so great, the generosity of partners such as Ryder allows the American Red Cross to be the helping hand to people in crisis," said Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. "We are so pleased that Ryder is expanding its philanthropic partnership to both the national and local levels of the Red Cross, and Ryder's multi-year commitment to the Annual Disaster Giving Program enables us to have the resources to provide people with disaster relief for large-scale disasters such as a tornado, hurricane or wildfire, or a smaller disaster like an apartment or house fire in Florida."

Since 1991, Ryder has been a significant philanthropic partner of the Red Cross, providing financial support to national headquarters and the Greater Miami & the Keys chapter, as well as supplying in-kind donations of trucks, sponsoring local Red Cross events and supporting local disaster relief efforts.

The Red Cross has also had a strong national business relationship with Ryder for many years, having been a Ryder National Rental customer since 1989. In addition to the $1 million financial commitment, under the umbrella of its National Rental program, Ryder is extending preferred pricing for rental vehicles to all local Red Cross chapters in the U.S. Ryder will also tap into its base of more than 20,000 U.S. employees as part of a grassroots volunteer effort to support disaster preparedness and response activities in communities where the company operates.

"The American Red Cross is one of the most well respected charitable organizations in the world and we greatly value the contributions it makes to communities where we live and work," said Greg Swienton, Ryder's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "As a transportation and logistics provider, we also understand the complexity and depth of timely resources needed to respond to disasters. It is this strong linkage between Ryder's business and the Red Cross' operational needs that drove us to select the Red Cross as Ryder's primary, national charitable partner. Whether it's through financial support, vehicle donations, or volunteer time from our employees, we want to do all we can to help increase the efficiency, capacity, and cost effectiveness of American Red Cross operations so the organization can continue to prepare and respond quickly and effectively in times of disaster."

Ryder joins 18 other members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program. ADGP members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families impacted by disaster anywhere in the United States, regardless of cost.

People can join the Annual Disaster Giving Program members in supporting the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and help provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the current floods. Visit RedCross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.

Members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program:

American Express

AT&T

AXA Foundation

ConAgra Foods

GE Foundation

FedEx Corporation

JCPenney Company Fund

John Deere Foundation

Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Merck & Co, Inc.

Morgan Stanley

Nationwide Foundation

Raytheon Company

Ryder Charitable Foundation

State Farm

State Street Foundation

Target

The TJX Companies, Inc.

UnitedHealth Group

Help people affected by disasters, like the current floods, by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C., 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

About the American Red Cross:The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization -- not a government agency -- and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.

About Ryder:

Ryder provides leading-edge transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions. Ryder's stock (NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Ryder ranks 399th on the FORTUNE 500(R). For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.

SOURCE American Red Cross

Source: PR Newswire

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