Customers and associates at the two Gainesville Kroger stores donated more than $11,000 to the American Heart Association during an in-store campaign that raised funds to fight heart disease.

The campaign ran from Feb. 12-25 and gave customers at Georgia, Eastern Alabama and South Carolina Kroger locations the opportunity to purchase a paper “red heart” for $1 at checkout to help raise $200,000 to benefit the AHA and its mission of building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

The Atlanta division of Kroger totaled more than $229,000 in donations.

“The generosity and support of the Atlanta Division customers and associates is overwhelming,” says Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger’s Atlanta Division, in a press release. “Their selfless donations have helped raise awareness and financial support to fight cardiovascular disease — the No. 1 cause of death in both men and women.”

The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest, largest voluntary organization devoted to fighting cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Donations to AHA help fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to help millions of people across the country. For more information about the American Heart Association, visit http://www.heart.org.