Wal-Mart Donates $8.5 Million to Benefit Police, Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Teams

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Every day, fire, police, rescue and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) teams answer the call to serve. Over the last month, Americans have witnessed the spirit and courage of these teams in times of disaster, exemplifying what it means to be a "hero." Wal-Mart will honor the men and women who serve in this role with $8.5 million in grants from its annual "Safe Neighborhood Heroes" program.

Throughout the month of October, each of the 3,700 U.S. Wal-Mart stores, Neighborhood Markets, SAM'S CLUBS and distribution centers nationwide will recognize the efforts of their hometown fire, police, rescue and EMS teams with direct financial donations. This year's grants come at an opportune time for many groups involved first-hand in recent hurricane response efforts.

Wal-Mart's "Safe Neighborhood Heroes" grants will help many organizations obtain needed items or begin new programs that promote a safer community. Examples of what this year's program will help provide include:

* The care of two trained canine police dogs for the Metro Atlanta Regional Transportation Authority Police unit; * A new drivers education course for local teens, created by the fire department of Parker Fire, Colo. to promote safer driving; * Smoke alarms for the Salem Fire Department to distribute to residents in Salem, N.H.; * New equipment for the City of Gonzales Fire Department in Louisiana. Funds will help replace equipment worn from heavy use after the storms and help purchase additional equipment required to serve a now larger population.

"As a community we must lean on each other to help those we serve," says Betsy Reithemeyer, head of the Wal-Mart & SAM'S CLUB Foundation. "Working side by side with emergency response teams is important not just in times of crisis, but each and every day. We are glad to help enrich the services provided by first responders in ways that are beneficial to their communities."

The "Safe Neighborhood Heroes" grants touch all U.S. communities where there is a local Wal-Mart store, SAM'S CLUB or Wal-Mart distribution center. Each facility can provide up to $3,000 toward the emergency response unit of its choice. This year's grants will bring the total dollars contributed to emergency responders through this annual program to $25 million since 2002.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

More information about "Safe Neighborhood Heroes," hurricane relief efforts, Wal-Mart's charitable giving per state and other programs can be found at http://www.walmartfacts.com/ or http://www.walmartfoundation.org/ .

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. Internationally, the company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com/ .