Bashas' Supermarkets and Shamrock Farms Team Up to Help Preserve Arizona, Encourage Earth-Friendly Shopping Habits

- Local, Family-Owned Companies Introduce the 'Ultimate GREEN Bag' on Earth Day -

CHANDLER, Ariz., April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Two hometown companies -- Bashas' and Shamrock Farms -- are working together for a cleaner Arizona by introducing a one-of-a-kind reusable shopping bag in celebration of Earth Day 2008.

"We're calling it the 'Ultimate GREEN Bag' -- because it's good for the environment, and good for your wallet," said Johnny Basha, Vice Chairman of Bashas' Family of Stores.

There will be several money-saving offers tied to the reusable bags throughout the year, courtesy of Shamrock Farms and other Bashas' partner products.

The reusable bag program officially launches on Earth Day -- Tuesday, April 22, 2008 -- at Bashas' Supermarkets throughout Arizona. There are many ways to obtain the Ultimate GREEN Bag, including:

-- Bring five or more plastic bags to your neighborhood Bashas' on Earth
Day in exchange for a FREE reusable bag. (Two hundred bags available
per store on a first-come, first-serve basis. One bag per household.)
-- From April 16-22, purchase one Shamrock Farms 96-oz. Organic milk and
receive a free reusable bag.
-- Purchase a reusable bag for $0.99 at your neighborhood Bashas',
beginning April 16, 2008.
-- Regularly check your Bashas' store and weekly Bashas' ads for ways to
earn more reusable bags.

A series of valuable offers will be tied to the use of the reusable bag(s) in Bashas' stores. And every time shoppers use the bag, they'll also be helping to preserve Arizona.

"By participating in Bashas' reusable bag program, we're hoping to increase awareness of effective environmental practices that everybody can adopt," said Molly Watson, brand manager for Shamrock Farms. "This program was a perfect fit for Shamrock Farms, who is constantly looking for ways to enhance its environmental practices."

The reusable bag program complements the many initiatives Bashas' Family of Stores has in place to reduce its impact on the environment. As part of a longstanding pledge to serve Arizona communities, the family-owned and -- operated grocer is committed to conserving energy, water and fuel, in addition to recycling plastic bags, cardboard and other supplies -- at the same time, the grocer regularly invites shoppers to join in the efforts. As a result, the grocer recycles more than 25,000 tons of cardboard and plastic materials every year; conserves enough energy annually to power 7,500 homes; and will use a fuel-efficient program to eliminate 1,775 tons of CO2 emissions annually from its fleet of trucks, a reduction equivalent to removing 1/3 of its trucks from the road.

About Bashas' Family of Stores

Bashas' Family of Stores is an Arizona-based, family-owned and -operated grocer founded by brothers Ike and Eddie Basha, Sr. With more than 13,000 employees and 160 stores, it is the 12th-largest employer in the state and one of the Best Places to Work in Arizona. Since the company's inception in 1932, Bashas' has given back more than $100 million to the communities it serves. For more information, visit http://www.bashas.com/.

About Shamrock Farms

Shamrock Farms, the largest dairy in the Southwest, produces and distributes traditional and organic farm-fresh milk, as well as whipping cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, ice cream and frozen novelties. Shamrock Farms, which has its own farm hosting both a traditional and organic herd totaling more than 10,000 cows, is a division of Shamrock Foods Company, a family-owned and operated business founded in 1922 in Tucson, Ariz. For more information, visit http://www.shamrockfarms.net/ or call 1-888-HI-ROXIE.

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Source: Bashas' Family of Stores

CONTACT: Kristy Nied of Bashas' Family of Stores, +1-480-895-5369,
knied@bashas.com

Web site: http://www.bashas.com/
http://www.shamrockfarms.net/

2008-04-17 18:25:37 0339258 PRNEWSWIRE