Wauchula Celebrates 'Neighbors Helping Neighbors'

Wauchula Celebrates 'Neighbors Helping Neighbors'
Community Event Highlights Hardee Co. Rebuilding Progress Since Hurricanes;
Rebuilt Wauchula Winn-Dixie Store Reopens 


WAUCHULA, Fla., Jan. 12  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With the color and pageantry
of a hometown pep rally, residents and community leaders of this rural central
Florida community celebrated rebuilding efforts and honored emergency workers
and volunteers as they marked five months since the first of three powerful
hurricanes swept through and damaged virtually every home and business. 
Emblematic of recovery was the reopening today of one of Wauchula's oldest
businesses, the Winn-Dixie grocery store, which had to be rebuilt because of
storm damage.

Performances by students from local elementary, junior high and senior high
schools highlighted the program.  Wauchula Mayor David Royal told a crowd of
residents, "Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne may have destroyed
buildings, but they didn't claim a single life and they didn't destroy the
spirit of Wauchula and Hardee County.  What they did is bring us closer
together -- neighbor helping neighbor.  And that's worth celebrating."

"I truly believe there is a silver lining in the dark clouds of these storms,"
said Royal.  "It's given us the opportunity to build a better community in ways
that will improve our economy for the future."

"Our store is a microcosm of the community -- it was knocked down but we've
rebuilt and it's stronger because of it," said Winn-Dixie CEO Peter Lynch, who
attended the ceremony and welcomed store associates back home. "Our associates,
managers and many of our vendors live here in Wauchula and surrounding Hardee
County.  They're happy to be back to serve their friends and neighbors in their
newly rebuilt 'home.'"

As a show of support for Wauchula and all of Hardee County, Lynch and store
director Brad Simpson presented two local non-profit groups with $5,000 checks
for their work.  Store managers organized a picnic lunch in the store's parking
lot, offering free hot dogs and drinks to residents to mark the store's
reopening.

Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, roared through Wauchula on the afternoon
of August 13.  Three weeks later, Hurricane Frances, a Category 2 storm,
slammed the area, and three weeks after Frances, Hurricane Jeanne, a Category 3
storm, completed the destruction.

"What Charley didn't destroy, Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne did," noted Royal. 
"Having well-developed emergency plans certainly saved lives, and I can't find
the words to describe the pride I feel and the debt we owe to our utility
workers and those from surrounding cities, the national guard, the Red Cross
and the many faith-based organizations who came to our aid."

While the opening of a grocery store normally wouldn't attract much attention,
the impact will be immediately felt by the town's 4,500 residents, many of whom
have shopped at the Winn-Dixie since it first came to town more than 30 years
ago.

The 48,000-square-foot rebuilt store features expanded deli and floral
departments compared to what was destroyed by the hurricanes.  New conveniences
include automated self-checkout lanes, large display cases for fresh rotisserie
and fried chicken, expanded ethnic foods section with Hispanic and kosher
foods, expanded wine section, and an expanded floral department.

"We've been counting the days until we could reopen, and we're finally back
home and back in business," said Brad Simpson, the Wauchula store director. 
"Our associates have been working at other Winn-Dixie stores throughout the
district for the past five months.  It's great to be back together, and we're
excited to provide an even better store for our customers and neighbors in
Hardee County."

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., is one of the nation's largest food retailers. Founded
in 1925, the Company is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL.  For more
information, please visit http://www.winn-dixie.com/. 

DATASOURCE: Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.



CONTACT:  Robin Miller of Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., [phone], or

[phone] (wireless), ; or Sue Murphy,

[phone], or [phone] (wireless), , for

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.



Web site:  http://www.winn-dixie.com/ 

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