The Subway restaurant chain, the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise, and its franchisees will donate the equivalent of 5% of October 23, 2005 sales from all of their 18,000-plus U.S. restaurants to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to aid emergency needs of Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors. The effort is expected to raise more than $1 million. Subway will support its chain-wide initiative with television and radio announcements, and with window signs in each of its U.S. restaurants. In addition, there will be exposure for the fundraiser during television coverage of the October 23rd Subway 500 NASCAR race in Martinsville, VA, along with a presence at the track consisting of public address announcements, billboard announcements, and an American Red Cross logo on the hood of the #16 Ford Taurus driven by Greg Biffle. The American Red Cross estimates that the families needing assistance from Hurricane Katrina alone are 15 times the number from all four hurricanes last year. The total cost for Katrina relief is estimated at more than $2 billion, and the Red Cross is counting on the American people and corporations to help their neighbors in need. For more information about the Subway restaurant chain, visit www.subway.com.(PR)(10-23-2005)
