Cocky came out for his Reading Express to accept a grant in the amount of $5,865 (l–r): BI–LO District director Tamra Tootle; Cocky, Ellen Hinrichs, and Tommy Preston from the University of South Carolina; and BI–LO District director Tony Williams. BI–LO Charities donated more than $160,000 to local organizations November 13 thanks to funds raised during the 26th annual BI–LO Charity Classic Golf Tournament, which took place last June.

Representatives from 24 charities came together to receive $163,384 worth of grants from BI–LO Charities. Each organization was chosen due to its ongoing work with children’s needs, education, and hunger relief.

Charities receiving grants included Boy Scouts of America Troop #78, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands, Brockington Magnet Elementary School, Chesco Services, Children’s Chance, Darlington County Council on Aging, Hartsville Soup Kitchen Mission, Friends of the 12th Circuit Guardian ad Litem Board, HOPE in Lancaster, Fairfield County Disabilities & Special Needs Board, Horizons Christian Academy, Lancaster Children’s Home, Lancaster Relay for Life, McLeod Children’s Hospital, News Heights Middle School, Palmetto Health Foundation, Senior Resources, Inc., Richland County Court Appointed Special Advocates, Silver Ring South Carolina, Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Assault, Sistercare, Inc., The CARE House of the Pee Dee, U.S.C. and S.C. Center for Children’s Books and Literacy – Cocky’s Reading Express, and Urban League of Columbia.

To learn more about funds granted to local charities or how to sign up to play in the 2010 Charity Classic, visit www.BI–LOCharities.org. Become a fan of BI–LO Charities on Facebook to follow the Ten Days of Giving as donations are made across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Formed in 1998, BI–LO Charities, Inc. manages BI–LO’s extensive charitable giving programs including the annual BI–LO Charity Classic golf tournament, which celebrated its 26–year anniversary in June 2009. Since its inception in 1983, the BI–LO Charity Classic has raised more than $48 million to provide funding for non–profit organizations in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee that focus on three key initiatives: children’s issues, education, and hunger relief. Headquartered in Mauldin, S.C., BI–LO operates 214 supermarkets and employs approximately 15,500 people.