BETHESDA, Md., June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As wildfires continue to burn across Colorado, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced it will donate $100,000 to local emergency relief service organizations, including the Red Cross, and open the Lockheed Martin Employee Disaster Relief Fund (LMEDRF) to support employees affected by the natural disaster.

"Supporting our communities is one of our core values," said Emily Simone, director, Lockheed Martin Global Community Outreach.  "With nearly 9,000 employees in Colorado, many of whom have been directly affected by this tragedy, we believe it is our responsibility to our employees and our community to provide assistance."

The LMEDRF assists employees in federally declared disaster areas.  Since its creation in 2006, employees have contributed more than $8 million to help their coworkers in times of need.  The LMEDRF is maintained by employee and company donations and provides emergency, short-term assistance for approved items such as food, temporary lodging and clothing. In 2011, the LMEDRF was opened 21 times to provide assistance to employees. 

"We have several facilities in the path of the wildfires, and we are doing everything possible to support our employees through this difficult time," continued Simone. 

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 123,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin