Lehigh Valley, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/10/2011 -- SUBWAY® restaurants has announced that stores in the Lehigh Valley market joined together on Feb. 17 to donate food, time and resources to the Red Cross volunteers, firefighters and victims of the natural-gas disaster that occurred on Feb. 16 in Allentown, Pa. In the hours following the natural-gas disaster, four SUBWAY® stores in the Lehigh Valley market provided sandwich and cookie platters to help feed more than 100 people. The participating stores are located at 512 Hamilton Street, 1901 Hamilton Street, 1829 Stefko Blvd. and 1313 Tilghman Street, all in Allentown, PA.

Suspicion fell on an 83-year-old cast iron gas main which lacked shut-off valves, taking workers five hours to break through the ice, asphalt and concrete to seal the 12-inch main. Due to the speed of the explosion, 39 homes were damaged, eight were completely destroyed and five lives were lost.

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“We cannot give those affected back their loved ones, their homes or their belongings, but donating our time and our resources is a small token to say we are here, and we care,” said Tracy Singh, SUBWAY® owner.

“It was devastating to see the aftermath of this natural-gas disaster,” said Jeremy Hallman, SUBWAY® owner. “Myself and fellow SUBWAY® owners were happy to provide food to the victims, volunteers and firefighters. It was the least we could do to show our support and express our condolences.”

“We are merely doing our part,” said Priti Patel, SUBWAY® owner. “Though these are terrible circumstances, I am glad my employees had the opportunity to join other community businesses in giving to those who need our help the most.”

“Realistically, a meal from SUBWAY® will not ease the damage that has been done, but we hope to provide some sort of comfort and support for those who are suffering,” said Grant Gourley, SUBWAY® owner.

About SUBWAY® Restaurants
The SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise, with more than 33,000 locations in 92 countries.

Headquartered in Milford, Conn., and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami and Singapore, the SUBWAY® chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. The SUBWAY® brand was ranked the number one Franchise Opportunity and the number one Global Franchise in the 2010 edition of Entrepreneur magazine's “Annual Franchise 500®” survey, an honor that the SUBWAY® chain has received 17 times in the past 23 years. For more information about the SUBWAY® restaurant chain and its sustainability efforts, please visit http://www.subway.com and http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc.