Ready When the Time Comes introduced during press conference and shelter drill

St. Louis, Monday, May 7, 2007 - During a press conference on Saturday, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter, Grainger and Anheuser-Busch introduced Ready When the Time Comes, a major new partnership designed to recruit corporate employees in St. Louis to serve as Red Cross volunteers during a large-scale, local disaster. Led by Grainger, the National Founding Sponsor of Ready When the Time Comes and Anheuser-Busch, the Local Lead Sponsor, local corporations participated in a full-scale shelter drill immediately following Saturday's announcement at St. Raphael the Archangel School - one of 600 local facilities designated as a potential Red Cross shelter during times of disaster.

The shelter drill provided an overview of Red Cross emergency services available to victims of disaster, and featured trained employees from Grainger, Anheuser-Busch, Citigroup, Fleishman-Hillard, Lohr Distributing Company and State Farm working alongside veteran Red Cross volunteers. More than 100 people participated in the simulation, which focused on registration procedures, cot set-up and distribution of bedding, food preparation and delivery, and administration of physical/mental health services.

"Over the past year, the Red Cross has opened shelters on three different occasions as a result of severe weather throughout the St. Louis area. These recent local experiences serve as an important reminder of the need to remain vigilant in our efforts to prepare for the unexpected," said Joseph C. White, chief executive officer for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. "Our Ready When the Time Comes volunteers represent the very best in America. Because of the corporate commitment of each of our partners and the individual dedication of every volunteer, we are more ready than ever to respond to a large-scale disaster right here in St. Louis. We salute our friends at Grainger, Anheuser-Busch, Citigroup, Fleishman-Hillard, Lohr Distributing Company and State Farm for their tremendous support of this community effort."

Ready When the Time Comes enables the Red Cross to recruit and train volunteers from local companies and organizations so they can be mobilized quickly. Program volunteers receive free, specialized training in crucial disaster response, such as shelter operations, large-scale feeding efforts, and damage assessment. In the event of a local large-scale disaster, the Red Cross can count on Ready When the Time Comes corporate partners to support their local efforts.

In support of the Red Cross mission to help the community prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies, Ready When the Time Comes was introduced by the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago and W.W. Grainger, Inc. in 2001. Since that time, the program has expanded as a national pilot and St. Louis is one of 16 markets where the program is being introduced.

"Clearly, the greatest resource a business can contribute to disaster relief is its employee's time and dedication," said Laura Brown, vice president, marketing for Grainger. "Grainger has been part of the local community for more than 70 years and we're proud to partner with the Red Cross to ensure St. Louis is prepared for a disaster. The Ready When the Time Comes program means our employees will be prepared to lend a hand when it's needed most."

Grainger's strong heritage of helping communities respond to disasters dates back to the company's inception. In addition to signing on as the National Founding Sponsor of Ready When the Time Comes and contributing a $1 million gift to enable a national expansion of the program, Grainger gave more than $1 million in supplies and cash to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Grainger received the American Red Cross Circle of Humanitarian Award in 2005 and 2006 for its disaster relief efforts throughout the United States. In addition, Richard L. Keyser, CEO, was honored by the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago with the Heritage Award for his personal commitment to disaster preparedness and response. Grainger has contributed $4 million to the American Red Cross since 2001.

In St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch continues its 101-year history of Red Cross support by joining Ready When the Time Comes as the Local Lead Sponsor. Anheuser-Busch first provided support for the Red Cross following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and has since contributed millions of dollars to the National Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the American National Red Cross to respond to approximately 70,000 disasters across the country each year. In addition to monetary support for the Red Cross, Anheuser-Busch has contributed large in-kind donations of canned drinking water for disaster victims - both locally and nationally. Anheuser-Busch supported the local response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 by providing volunteer support for telethon phone banks, which were instrumental in helping to raise more than $5 million locally for the nationwide response.

"While it's important to assist the Red Cross following a disaster, it's even more important to be prepared to respond in the event of a major disaster here at home," said Dave Peacock, vice president of business operations for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "That's why Anheuser-Busch is proud to be the Local Lead Sponsor for Ready When the Time Comes and encourages other local businesses to commit their support to this important initiative."

The Red Cross urges businesses throughout the metropolitan area to answer the call by joining with Grainger, Anheuser-Busch, Citigroup, Fleishman-Hillard, Lohr Distributing Company and State Farm, to become a Ready When the Time Comes partner. The partnership provides an opportunity to give back to the community in a unique and visible way, while allowing employees to volunteer their time to meet high-priority local needs. Employee volunteer programs are an excellent way to motivate employees, to build leadership and management skills, and to encourage teamwork.

In a soon-to-be-released Corporate Social Responsibility Survey conducted by Fleishman-Hillard and the National Consumers League, three times as many respondents said they expected non-financial contributions (which include volunteerism) from companies in their community, as opposed to financial contributions alone. While monetary contributions remain critical, Americans prefer contributions be coupled with a company's donation of its time and expertise.

For More Information:
The American Red Cross is not a government agency, and all disaster relief services are provided free of charge thanks to the financial generosity of the public. To learn more about the Ready When the Time Comes program or how to volunteer with the American Red Cross, please contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or log on to www.redcrossstl.org.

About Grainger:
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW), with 2006 sales of $5.9 billion, is a leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions in Canada, China, Mexico and the United States.  Through a highly integrated network including nearly 600 branches, 18 distribution centers and multiple Web sites, Grainger's employees help customers get the job done, saving them time and money by having the right products to keep their facilities running. For more information on Grainger, go to www.grainger.com.

About Anheuser-Busch:
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 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 2007. Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world's largest recyclers of aluminum cans. 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 celebrates 90 years of dedicated service, providing emergency relief and preparedness training more than 410,000 times each year. The Red Cross is not a government agency and depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, 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. All disaster relief services are provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of the American people. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or www.redcrossstl.org.

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