Local Involvement

We are caring neighbors, involved in community activities in meaningful ways and committed to reflecting the diversity of each community we serve.

Rite Aid's Women's Leadership Network Spruces Up YWCA Shelter

A fresh coat of paint brought smiles to those at the YWCA's Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter in Harrisburg, Pa. Recently, members of Rite Aid's Women's Leadership Network (WLN), including Chairman and CEO Mary Sammons, devoted a few hours of their workday to paint six rooms at the facility. WLN members meet to share insights on becoming successful in today's society, engage women in leadership activities, provide mentoring to young girls and volunteer in the community.

Angel Gates, Manager, Store Communications, paints a bathroom at the shelter.

Associates "Adopt" Elementary School Students

Tuscaloosa, Ala. Distribution Center associates are celebrating the eighth year of an Adopt-A-School partnership with Walker Elementary, located in nearby Northport, Ala. During that time, associates have enriched the lives of students by participating in the Junior Achievement Program, which teaches students how to run a business, participating in an associates versus teachers charity volleyball game and hosting students for a Job Shadow Day, just to name a few.
"We try to do as much as we can for the students," says Tim Tucker, senior human resources manager at the DC. "Once a month we get a team of associates together to drive to the school, which is about 20 miles away, and we supervise the students over lunch so that the teachers can have some free time."
Tucker says associates and fifth-grade students particularly enjoy Job Shadow Day. "We make it fun for them," he says. "We bring them in for about half the day, make them name tags, show them the tractor trailers and explain to them how the facility operates."

Above Forklift Driver Frederick Abernathy and Production Department Manager Bill Walker talk to students during Job Shadow Day.

Merchandising Team Lends Helping Hand To Community Center

Robert Ruscillo says the company's core values inspired him to call the Chamber of Commerce in Belfair, Wash. to see if there was any volunteering his team could do for the community.
"We had recently opened a new store there and thought this would be a nice way of saying thanks for letting us open a store in their small community," says Ruscillo, a merchandising coordinator for Rite Aid
Chamber officials referred Ruscillo's team to the Mary E. Theler Community Center, which needed some rooms painted. Days later, Ruscillo's entire team of 16 showed up to apply coats of off-white paint to the walls of the main office, a storage room and two bathrooms. Ruscillo's team then walked the nearby nature trail to clear debris and pick up litter. "The new store recently had a pre-opening and the store manager said she received several compliments for the work that we did," Ruscillo says.

The Merchandising Team poses for a quick picture before painting rooms at the local community center.

Store Hosts Shoe Drive To Benefit Children In Third-World Countries

The Rite Aid store in Gray, Tenn. recently hosted a used shoe collection with Daniel Boone High School students to raise money for groups and organizations in the school district. Associates' help contributed to the district's collection total of over 7,932 pounds of shoes, which were donated to non-profit Global Dove in return for $1,586. The shoes are refurbished and donated to citizens of third world countries.

Pictured above are Pharmacist Vivian Ebeo, left, and Shift Supervisor Vickie Williams.