CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - A major renovation of the Safeway grocery store at 7301 Greenback Lane has been completed after nearly a year’s worth of work.

Citrus Heights Mayor Steve Miller joined Rich Lopez, store manager, and other representatives of Safeway’s Northern California regional office in Pleasanton in a re-opening ribbon cutting celebration, Thursday, July 29^th at 8 a.m.

Larry Fritz, president of the Citrus Heights Historical Society and Pam Chatham, assistant director of the Sunrise Christian Food Ministry in Citrus Heights each received individual $1,500 checks payable to their organizations from the Safeway Foundation for their organization’s individual role in supporting the local community.

“Many customers rediscovered our store while we remodeled,” said store manager, Rich Lopez. The Citrus Heights Safeway store employs about 100 people. Lopez, who lives on Mariposa Avenue in Citrus Heights, has been store manager for the past four years.

Improvements include a refreshed deli, produce section, meat department and an upgraded pharmacy. Each shopping aisle is named after a prominent street in Citrus Heights. New digital screen displays are featured throughout the store, Lopez said.

Customers at the remodeled Greenback Lane Safeway store are now offered curbside grocery pick-up. A “drive-up and go” pick-up service allows customers to place their grocery orders online for a scheduled pickup-time. A Safeway associate will put the groceries directly into the customer’s vehicle, Lopez said.

The Sunrise Christian Food Ministry at 5901 San Juan Avenue in Citrus Heights offers a drive-thru COVID-19 food distribution program Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for residents of Sacramento County.

“We feed 80-90 families each day through our food pantry program,” Chatham said. “We appreciate this donation and the ongoing generosity of Safeway and other local grocers to provide bread, baked goods and other grocery items to the food pantry each week.”

“We appreciate the financial support and generosity of all in the greater Citrus Heights area who continue to help us,” Chatham said. The public can call the Sunrise Christian Food Ministry at 916-965-5431 to donate or visit sunrisechristianfoodministry.org  for more information.

Wendy Gutshall. director of public and government affairs for Safeway’s northern division in Pleasanton said the company’s design decision to add city names to the store’s aisle toppers helps Safeway forge a strong connection to the greater Citrus Heights local community.

When customers walk down aisle four named for Kenneth Avenue, they will find frozen pizza, vegetables and breakfast items in bright, new display cases. Other aisle names also include Trenton Way, Oak Avenue, Hazel Avenue and Wachtel Way.

Fritz said he was delighted to see local street names were incorporated in the company’s redesign of the Greenback Safeway store. He thanked the Safeway Foundation for its $1,500 donation to the Citrus Heights Historical Society and invited the public to join the society and to learn more about the community’s rich history.

Earlier this spring Fritz furnished a selection of historical photos for store management to choose from for framed display throughout the store. Four of the framed photographs depicting early businesses in Citrus Heights are now displayed in the Greenback Safeway store.

Information about general membership, local city history and past activities can be found on the society’s website at www.citrusheightsstories.com