NEW YORK — With sporting events canceled for the foreseeable future, Anheuser-Busch is redirecting its sports and entertainment investments to its nonprofit partners responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
A-B will donate $5 million to the American Red Cross and, along with its sports partners, will identify available arenas and stadiums to be used for temporary blood drive centers. It will also make its facilities in Merrimack, N.H., and St. Louis available to the Red Cross and donate media airtime to the Red Cross in support of its public service announcements. About 7,000 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, resulting in about 220,000 fewer blood donations, according to Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross.
A-B will also produce and distribute bottles of hand sanitizer to accommodate the growing needs across the country. The hand sanitizer will be used at Red Cross blood donation centers and to support emergency shelters for future relief efforts, according to the New York-based company.
“COVID-19 has changed how we all live our lives, but it hasn’t changed Anheuser-Busch’s priorities and our commitments as an employer, a business partner and a corporate citizen,” said Michel Doukeris, CEO of Anheuser-Busch U.S. “While we can’t solve this crisis on our own, we are proud to do what we can to serve and support our communities in need and the heroes on the front lines, using our capabilities, our relationships and our reach to do our part. We invite other companies to use their unique capabilities to join us in this effort, however they can, so that together we can make a difference.”
A-B’s brand Bud Light is also giving back by offering its platform to help consumers locate bars and restaurants across the country that are open for takeout. People looking to support their local businesses can visit BudLight.com/OpenForTakeout and put in their ZIP code to see links to restaurants that are open for takeout near them. Bud Light will use some of its media spend to drive awareness of this online resource.
A-B owns and operates 23 breweries, 14 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities. Its brands include Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois.
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