St. Louis, Monday, October 17, 2005 – Anheuser-Busch Companies and its charitable foundation have been long-time supporters of the American Red Cross, and most recently have made significant contributions to the ongoing hurricane relief efforts. Nationally, in preparation for the 2005 Hurricane Season, the company pre-positioned canned drinking water, which was immediately accessible for the Red Cross response to Hurricanes Dennis and Emily. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Anheuser-Busch donated 6.7 million cans of fresh drinking water for distribution by the Red Cross and other relief agencies throughout the affected regions.

Such in-kind support was provided in conjunction with an immediate financial donation of $1 million from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation to Hurricane Katrina relief. Anheuser-Busch’s independent distributors donated $1 million, which Anheuser-Busch matched.  The company is also matching more than $300,000 in contributions made by its employees to the Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts and is matching customer donations made in 7-Eleven collection canisters through the month of October, up to $75,000.  Total contributions from Anheuser-Busch, its foundation, wholesalers and employees equal nearly $3.5 million.  In addition, the company has made in-kind donations valued at approximately $1 million.

Since becoming a substantial supporter of the American Red Cross national organization, Anheuser-Busch has provided millions in financial and in-kind donations to support disaster relief and other Red Cross programs and services. Other national support includes the following highlights:

• In the wake of September 11, 2001, Anheuser-Busch made a $1 million gift to the Red Cross from its charitable foundation, while assisting with coordinating fundraising and blood-donor recruitment.
• In the spring of 2004, Anheuser-Busch was a $25,000 Silver Level sponsor of the 79^th Annual American Red Cross National Convention in St. Louis.
• In response to the devastating 2004 Hurricane Season, Anheuser-Busch and its family of independent wholesalers and distributors provided more than $1.3 million for Red Cross hurricane response. This gift was comprised of an initial $300,000 donation by the Anheuser-Busch Foundation and a challenge to the company’s wholesalers and distributors to raise $500,000 to be matched by an additional $500,000 corporate contribution. Anheuser-Busch also provided several truckloads of canned water to support the relief operation.
• In response to the devastating tsunami last December, Anheuser-Busch initiated a company-wide employee giving and corporate matching campaign, raising nearly $100,000.

Anheuser-Busch’s support of the Red Cross is also evident at the local level. The corporation has provided nearly $300,000 in financial and in-kind support to the St. Louis Area Chapter in outreach to its hometown community, while encouraging its employees to support Red Cross health and safety training through local participation.

Most recently, during the St. Louis Area Chapter’s support of more than 5,600 hurricane evacuees in the metropolitan area, Anheuser-Busch offered its St. Louis employees paid time off to help victims of Hurricane Katrina through “Operation A-B Cares.” More than 100 employees responded, resulting in support for a 17-hour Red Cross fundraising telethon and ongoing staffing of the Chapter’s information hotline opened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall.

“The American Red Cross truly appreciates the philanthropic generosity of Anheuser-Busch and its family of wholesalers and distributors,” said Joseph C. White, CEO of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. “Anheuser-Busch has a history of supporting this community and this nation in a time of need.”

For more information on the emergency services provided by the American Red Cross, or the support for hurricane relief provided by Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., please call the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or log on to the Chapter’s website at www.redcrossstl.org.

About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-owned and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in FORTUNE magazine’s 2005 “America’s Most Admired Companies” and in the top 30 on FORTUNE’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” list. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter:
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter provides emergency and preparedness assistance more than 397,000 times each year. The Red Cross depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and 140 staff to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, adult daytime professional care, services to military personnel, assistance to homeless families, and support for blood services. The Chapter provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base) and part of Madison County in Illinois.