Thousands of shoppers at Haggen Food & Pharmacy stores made donations Feb. 28 – March 13 to help those afflicted by multiple sclerosis.
Customers obtained paper MS Sneakers, available at checkout lines for a donation of $1 apiece. Haggen, Inc. is forwarding the donations of $80,529 from all 32 of its Pacific Northwest stores to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our customers, Haggen spokesperson Becky Skaggs said. Since MS has a high rate of incidence in the Pacific Northwest, many of us have a relative or friend afflicted by this disease. These donations will help the MS Society provide support for those living with MS, as well as fund research to find a cause and cure for the disease.
More than 50,000 people in western and central Washington are directly affected by MS, including 8,000 who have been diagnosed with it, according to the MS Society.
For more information about the upcoming MS Walk or the disease, visit the Web site of the Greater Washington Chapter of the MS Society at www.nmsswas.org.
Haggen, Inc. operates 32 supermarkets in Washington and Oregon under the Haggen Food & Pharmacy and TOP Food & Drug names. Headquartered in Bellingham, it is the largest independent grocer and ninth-largest private company based in the State of Washington.
The MS Walk is scheduled April 14 in Bellingham, Snohomish, Tacoma, Olympia, Yakima, Bainbridge, Kennewick and Silverdale and April 15 in Seattle. For more information about multiple sclerosis, you may call Kristin Hesse of the National Multiple Sclerosis Societys Greater Washington Chapter, 206-284-4254, ext. 234, or e-mail her at Kristin@nmsswas.org.