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Safeway Inc.today announced that the company and 100 vendors partners are donating $3.4 million to schools through Safeway’s annual 10% Back to Schools Program.

The donations will go to schools and education programs to sustain vital programs, purchase equipment and recognize excellence in the classroom. This is the fifth year that Safeway and product manufacturers have made a major contribution in support of education through the 10% Back to Schools program. Thousands of schools and education programs participated and earned donations.

“This will allow us to purchase laptops for the mobile computer lab,” said Tonya Hodsdon of Chapman Hill Elementary School in Salem, Oregon. The school earned an $18,464 donation. Hodsdon, the school’s office manager, coordinated a sign-up program to get each parent to participate in 10% Back to Schools. She noted that part of the school’s budget was cut for this. “We’re making due with less. Luckily we had some really motivated parents who wanted to help our school and they really supported this program.”

Through the program, which runs August and September, 10 percent of the sale price of more than 2,500 selected products goes to support education. When customers purchase these products using their Safeway Club Card, they automatically accumulate donations that they can assign to a school of their choice. Not only do the schools receive donations from product sales, but 200 schools with the most customer participation receive an extra $1,000.

The donation checks are being delivered at a time when many public school systems and other education programs are facing unprecedented cuts. Some schools are eliminating courses and increasing class size. In addition, the tough economy has impacted libraries, museums and other education and enrichment programs that rely on donations.

The KidZone Museum in Truckee, California, a children’s museum and educational activity center, earned a $25,515 donation that will be used to simply keep its doors open.

“This is a big donation for us,” said manager Romina Branje. “With the economic situation now, we’ve had to make some cutbacks. So we told everyone about the program. We sent out an email blast to all of our members to sign up. We are so happy for this support.” Along with its regular programs and curriculum, the small museum with a staff of eight has a special outreach in which low-income children not only receive free admission, but are picked up and brought to the museum to attend free art and science classes.

Since 2005, the 10% Back to Schools program has raised nearly $15 million for schools and education programs in the various regions that Safeway operates. Based on the overwhelming response, the company will continue the program and is working with vendors to launch the 2010 Back to Schools initiative.

Supporting education, through in-store campaigns and direct company donations, is part of Safeway’s commitment to the communities it serves. In 2009 alone Safeway donated $30 million to schools and education programs.