Food Lion Announces 2011 CIAA Tournament Sponsorships

GROCER ANNOUNCES BEVY OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FOR ENTIRE FAMILY

Food Lion announced today its continuing support of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament. As a major corporate sponsor, Food Lion invites its customers and CIAA fans to enjoy a number of events this year sponsored by their grocer of choice, including the women's tournament, a health and wellness symposium and the Miss CIAA Pageant.

As an official corporate partner of the CIAA for more than 17 years, Food Lion will be the title sponsor for the 2011 Food Lion Women's Tournament, which begins on Monday, Feb. 28 and concludes Saturday, March 5. The tournament is held at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Back by popular demand, the Taste of Food Lion stage will be set up at the CIAA Fan Experience on Thursday, March 3; Friday, March, 4; and Saturday, March 5, and will feature celebrity chef B. Smith, as well as product sampling, cooking demonstrations and coupons for those in attendance. Admission is free.

CIAA patrons are also invited to attend the CIAA Women's Health & Wellness Symposium sponsored by Food Lion and Thompson Hospitality, held at the Time Warner Cable Arena Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the tournament week. There will be free health screenings, panel discussions about health-related issues, product sampling, workout sessions and giveaways.

Food Lion Day at the CIAA on Friday, March 4, will be held at the Time Warner Cable Arena and will feature the CIAA Scholarship check presentation, interactive games on the floor, premium giveaways and the Diversity Booth.

On Saturday, March 5, Food Lion is sponsoring the ever-popular Miss CIAA Pageant. During halftime of the men's championship game, Food Lion and Sprite will announce and introduce the winner of the Food Lion/Sprite scholarship sweepstakes. There will be a grand prize winner of a $20,000 scholarship and first and second runner-up winners will receive $10,000 and $5,000 scholarships, respectively.

The complete list of Food Lion-sponsored events is as follows:

Feb. 28 – Food Lion Women's Tournament begins

March 1 – Food Lion Women's Tournament quarterfinals

March 2 – CIAA Education Day: Charlotte Convention Center (by invitation only)

March 3 – CIAA Career Expo: Charlotte Convention Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

March 3-5 –CIAA Women's Health & Wellness Symposium sponsored by Food Lion and Thompson Hospitality at the Time Warner Cable Arena; and the Taste of Food Lion stage featuring celebrity chef B. Smith with product sampling, demonstrations, coupons and more

March 4 – Food Lion Day at the CIAA with giveaways at the Time Warner Cable Arena; Food Lion Women's Tournament semifinals; and Food Lion-sponsored CIAA Women's Luncheon and President's Dinner

March 5 – Food Lion Miss CIAA Pageant; Food Lion/Sprite scholarship sweepstakes presentation; and Food Lion Women's Tournament finals

The CIAA is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II athletic conference consisting mostly of historically African-American institutions of higher education. Each year, Food Lion contributes more than $300,000 to the CIAA, and a third of that amount goes toward scholarships for deserving students at CIAA schools.

About Food Lion Family

The Food Lion family of banners, based in Salisbury, N.C., operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Harveys or Reid's. These stores meet local customer needs and preferences for the freshest and best quality products. Food Lion Family employs approximately 74,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com

SOURCE Food Lion Inc.