Donation Includes $500,000 Financial Assistance and 425,000 Cases of Bottled Drinking Water SHANGHAI, China, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Anheuser-Busch announced today it is donating $500,000 (RMB 3.5 million) to the Chinese Red Cross to aid relief efforts for victims of Monday's 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the Sichuan province in Central China. The international brewer also will provide more than $1.1 million (RMB 7.7 million) or 425,000 cases of fresh drinking water to the area. The money donated by Anheuser-Busch will be used by the Chinese Red Cross to help cover some of the costs associated with the relief efforts as well as set up temporary housing for families who lost their homes in the quake. The donated bottled water from Wuhan will start being shipped immediately and be distributed to residents throughout MianYang, DeYang, GuangYua, DuJiangYan, PengZhou, the five hardest hit counties in the Sichuan province. The water distribution area includes Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. Chengdu is home to an Anheuser-Busch regional sales office with more than 50 employees. "The impact of the earthquake has been felt around the world and affected people within our own Anheuser-Busch family," said YR Cheng, president, Anheuser-Busch China. "In this time of need, it's important for communities to pull together and corporations to lend a helping hand in any way possible. For Anheuser-Busch, providing this assistance was the right thing to do." Helping communities cope with natural disasters has been an Anheuser-Busch tradition since 1906 when the brewer made a donation to victims of the San Francisco earthquake. Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated nearly 75 million cans of drinking water following natural disasters around the world. "The earthquake continues to devastate those who have lost loved ones and the many whose homes and businesses have been destroyed," said Cheng. "We hope our donation can bring some relief to these families and to the brave emergency workers who are doing so much and need everyone's support." The donation was not Anheuser-Busch's first following a disaster in China. In 2005, Anheuser-Busch's Harbin and Songjiang breweries made fresh water available to area residents during the municipal water shutdowns stemming from the pollution in the Songhua River. Also in 2005, Anheuser-Busch donated money to support rebuilding efforts in the flood-stricken area of Shalan in the Heilongjiang province. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.5 percent share of U.S. beer sales. 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, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country's best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2008. For more information, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com/. DATASOURCE: Anheuser-Busch CONTACT: Dan Pierce of Anheuser-Busch, +1-314-577-7197, ; or Jojo Dai, + 86 (21) 6289-2929, , for Anheuser-Busch Web site: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/

Copyright