HomeSense partners with the Canadian Women's Foundation to raise money for the Hosting for Hope Campaign

This entertaining season, Canadians can host a party while helping women in their communities

TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - As families and friends gather together during this entertaining season, HomeSense, in partnership with the Canadian Women's Foundation, will be launching Hosting for Hope, a national program that supports local women's shelters and violence prevention programs. Starting October 29^th, Canadians are encouraged to raise money for their local shelter during any party they host before December 31^st. From simple get-togethers to lavish soirées, the program is designed to be flexible, allowing hosts to create an event that fits with their schedule, budget and sense of style. As a thank you from HomeSense, each participant will receive a $25 gift card.

"We know that our customers are throwing parties at this time of year and that they care about giving back to the community. This program, which is a natural extension of our ongoing commitment to the Canadian Women's Foundation, helps them out in both cases," says Tamara Robbins Griffith , Public Relations Manager, HomeSense. "We want to inspire people to be creative about the way they entertain, and make fundraising an easy thing to do during this busy holiday season."

"Violence against women is a serious national issue. On any given day in Canada, more than 3,000 women (along with their 2,500 children) are living in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence," says Beverley Wybrow , President and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation. "With Hosting for Hope, you are supporting community programs that help women rebuild their lives after abuse and local women's shelters that provide support and safety to women and children across Canada."

How to Participate
Once signed up at HostingforHope.ca with a $50 contribution, participants invite guests to their event using the website and request a donation to a local women's shelter in lieu of a host or hostess gift; 100 per cent of all money raised will go toward helping women and children rebuild their lives.  The "Hosting Lounge" shares party playlists, recipes, holiday décor ideas and more.

To help kick off the campaign, Jann Arden hosted the first Hosting for Hope dinner party on October 24^th in Toronto. "I want to help women everywhere find their voice, and encourage them to tell their stories. That's why I'm honoured to support Hosting for Hope, where Canadians can host a party while helping women in their communities," says Arden. "I'm thrilled to have hosted the very first one."

About HomeSense
HomeSense is owned by TJX Companies Inc. The TJX Companies, Inc. is the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. The Company operates 1,006 T.J. Maxx , 892 Marshalls, and 390 HomeGoods stores in the United States; 220 Winners, 87 HomeSense, and 14 Marshalls stores in Canada; and 337 T.K. Maxx and 24 HomeSense stores in Europe. TJX's press releases and financial information are also available at www.tjx.com. The Company routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the Investor Information section at www.tjx.com. The Company encourages investors to consult that section of its website regularly.

About The Canadian Women's Foundation
The Canadian Women's Foundation is Canada's public foundation who empowers women and girls to move out of violence and poverty and into confidence. Since 1991, they have raised money and invested in over 1,100 community programs across Canada, and are now one of the ten largest women's foundations in the world. The foundation takes a positive approach to address root causes of the most critical issues facing women and girls and shares the best ways to create long-term change and bring community organizations together for training and to learn from one another. They carefully select and fund the programs with the strongest outcomes and regularly evaluate their work, all while having a special focus on building a community of women helping other women. They invest in the power of women and the dreams of girls, and help women create safer families, communities and a more prosperous society for us all. For more information please visit www.canadianwomen.org.

SOURCE HomeSense

Image with caption: "To help kick off the campaign, Jann Arden hosted the first Hosting for Hope dinner party on October 24th in Toronto. (CNW Group/Arts & Communications) (CNW Group/HomeSense)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121029_C2573_PHOTO_EN_19783.jpg

Image with caption: "This holiday season, HomeSense has teamed up with the Canadian Women's Foundation to create a grassroots charity program called Hosting for Hope that benefits local women's shelters and community violence prevention programs. The campaign encourages Canadians to host a party and ask guests to make a donation. (CNW Group/Arts & Communications) (CNW Group/HomeSense)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121029_C2573_PHOTO_EN_19784.jpg