Anheuser-Busch Sends More Than 100,000 Cans of Water to Assist Wildfire Relief Efforts in West Central Texas

Water is on Way to Abilene, Fort Worth, San Angelo and Wichita Falls

ST. LOUIS (April 21, 2011) _ There’s a critical need for drinking water in areas of West Central Texas affected by wildfires, and Anheuser-Busch is contributing to the relief effort. The brewer is providing 4,312 cases, or more than 103,000 cans, of drinking water.

Following a request from the local Budweiser wholesaler in San Angelo, a truckload with 2,156 cases was dispatched today from the company’s brewery in Fairfield, Calif. It is scheduled to arrive Sunday to A-B Distributing Co., 3639 S. Jackson St. in San Angelo.

The Red Cross and a local volunteer fire department also sent out the call for drinking water. A second truckload with an additional 2,156 cases left the company’s brewery in Cartersville, Ga., today and is scheduled to arrive at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Budweiser distributor in Abilene, Ben E. Keith Company, 2141 Cottonwood St. A portion of this water will be used by the Red Cross. In addition, a third A-B distributor, Falls Distributing in Wichita Falls, will pick up and distribute a portion of this second truckload for use in Wichita Falls by its volunteer fire department. Ben E. Keith in Fort Worth also will use a portion of this shipment for fires that have spread to this area.

Dozens of homes have been destroyed in the wildfires that have been fueled by dry conditions, high winds and low humidity, affecting an estimated 1.4 million acres. Thousands of people are affected, in addition to the firefighters that are working to contain the blaze.

The Budweiser wholesalers will work with relief organizations to make sure the water gets to where it’s needed.
“People in Texas affected by the wildfires are in need of fresh drinking water, and this is one way Anheuser-Busch and our local wholesalers can help,” said Peter Kraemer, vice president of Supply for Anheuser-Busch. “We’ve provided this resource for many years to help communities across the United States because our business allows us to package and distribute canned water quickly.”

Over the last three years Anheuser-Busch and its distributors have provided nearly 6 million cans of packaged drinking water to victims of natural disasters. These included fires in California and Colorado; hurricanes and storms in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, South Dakota, Mississippi and Texas; and flooding in New York, Georgia, Tennessee, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wyoming, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 69 million cans of drinking water following natural and other disasters.

Helping communities cope with disasters has been an Anheuser-Busch tradition since 1906 when Adolphus Busch made a donation to victims of the San Francisco earthquake. Today, in addition to providing monetary support, Anheuser-Busch packages fresh drinking water and donates it to emergency relief organizations for distribution to those in need.

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.3 percent share of U.S. beer sales to retailers. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer. Anheuser-Busch is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.