Belk Announces More than $21.5 Million in Charitable Contributions

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Mar 25, 2015, 09:00 ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Belk, Inc. announced today that the company, and its associates, customers and vendors contributed more than $21.5 million to local communities in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2015. Of the total amount, Belk corporate dollars funded $6.1 million to more than 250 nonprofit organizations, with a focus on education, breast cancer research and awareness, and community strengthening. The remainder of the funding includes associate, vendor and customer dollars raised in Belk-led charitable events, including Belk Charity Sale.

"Belk was founded with an emphasis on community involvement and giving back to the local areas it serves. That philosophy of giving continues to ring true today, and remains one of our company's core values," said Jessica Graham, Belk vice president of communications and community relations. "We are thankful to have customers and associates that help us live out this mission through their contributions, which allows us to reach more people and leave a lasting mark."

Key impacts of Belk's giving in fiscal year 2015 include:

In its second year, the Belk Mobile Mammography Center screened more than 3,000 women throughout the South, bringing the total number of women screened to more than 7,400 since the program launch in 2013. The Center has detected 36 cases of cancer over the two years of the program.
Belk's first holiday fundraising campaign, Angel Days, raised more than $304,000 to local Title 1 schools.
Belk's first Charity Bear, designed by a 9 year old customer, raised $15,000 for the ASPCA©.

Key gifts in fiscal year 2015 include:

More than $12 million in customer dollars to more than 6,000 local charities through Belk's semi-annual Charity Sale.
More than $1.6 million, including corporate and associate dollars, to local United Way chapters across Belk's 16-state footprint.
More than $415,000 to Susan G. Komen, which includes corporate, associate and customer dollars to fund breast cancer research and awareness efforts across the Belk footprint.
More than $390,000, including customer and associate contributions, to the American Heart Association.

Key additional gifts from Belk, Inc. included:

$1 million five-year commitment to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Belk College of Business to fund an Endowed Professorship in Business Innovation, an Endowed Chair in Marketing Analytics, a Belk scholars program, and faculty research and teaching grants. This contribution is the second of the five-year commitment.
$1.3 million, through the Foundation of the Carolinas, to fund the Belk Gives On the Go Mobile Mammography Center (belk.com/pink). This contribution was the third payment of a multi-year $6 million commitment.
$465,000 to the International Society for Technology in Education, to fund the Belk Service Learning Challenge (belkservicelearningchallenge.com). This contribution was the last payment of a three-year, $1.5 million commitment.
$750,000 to the Belk Foundation to assist in its efforts to ensure all students receive a quality public education.
$200,000 to Duke University Medical Center for the Belk Boutique.
$100,000 to the American Red Cross to support disaster relief efforts.
$60,000 to Points of Light to fund service projects at local Title I schools.
1,039 pairs of gently used jeans donated to the United Way for students in need through the Trade In, Trade Up denim event.

About Belk, Inc.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. (www.belk.com) is the nation's largest family owned and operated department store company with 297 Belk stores located in 16 Southern states and a growing digital presence. Its belk.com website offers a wide assortment of national brands and private label fashion apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family along with top name cosmetics, a wedding registry and a large selection of quality merchandise for the home. Founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, N.C., the company is in the third generation of Belk family leadership and has been committed to community involvement since its inception.

Belk offers many ways to connect via digital and social media, including Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, Google Plus and Belk Blog, and provides exclusive offers, fashion updates, sales notifications and coupons via email or mobile phone text messages. Customers can also download the latest Belk mobile apps for the iPad, iPhone or Android.

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SOURCE Belk, Inc.