Catherines to Give Thousands of New Winter Coats to Elementary School Students Through the Keeping Kids Warm Program

BENSALEM, Pa., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to make the winter season warmer for children in need, Catherines and the Keeping Kids Warm® program are donating thousands of new winter coats to elementary school children, nationwide. The Keeping Kids Warm Program is supported by Charming Shoppes, Inc. and its family of brands: Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines, Lane Bryant Outlet, Cacique and Figi's Gifts in Good Taste.

Starting in October, company employees volunteer to organize coat distributions, order and pack coats, and present them in person to children in their communities. Each child chooses a brand new, warm winter coat and winter accessories.

"Seeing our associates come together to help local children in need is very rewarding," says Jim Fogarty, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charming Shoppes, Inc. "Our brands are in the business of profiting from the sale of clothing, so giving back to the communities we serve by clothing those in need is a natural extension. We share our customers' caring and passion for children in need, and are grateful for the support our customers have shown over the years for our program. We also appreciate the support we receive from our vendor base, which assists in the smooth execution of our program."

This is the Keeping Kids Warm program's 15th year of giving. To date, Charming Shoppes' brands have donated nearly 140,000 winter coats to elementary students all over America in such cities as Minneapolis, Cleveland, Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Syracuse, Newark and many others. This fall, Keeping Kids Warm will visit 19 schools in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Detroit, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Philadelphia, and present more than 10,000 coats to local children. At the end of this season, the program will have donated close to 150,000 coats in 75 communities across the country, a truly inspiring accomplishment.

Keeping Kids Warm is an endeavor of CSI Charities, Inc., a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization.  Catherines Plus Sizes is a store for stylish tastes, exclusively serving customers wearing Plus, Petite Plus and Extended Plus Sizes in nearly 500 store locations nationwide.  Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines, Lane Bryant Outlet, and Cacique operate under the parent company Charming Shoppes, Inc. The company also operates the Figi's family of brands, including the holiday food and gifts catalog Figi's Gifts in Good Taste, the home and gifts catalog Figi's Gallery and its wholesale unit Figi's Business Services.  Charming Shoppes operates approximately 2,100 retail apparel stores in 48 states. The Charming Shoppes family of brands offers the latest styles in apparel, accessories, intimates, and footwear for women of all sizes. For more information about Charming Shoppes and its brands, please visit www.charmingshoppes.com, www.lanebryant.com, www.cacique.com, www.fashionbug.com, www.catherines.com, www.loop18.com, www.figis.com, and www.figisgallery.com.  For more information about Keeping Kids Warm and how to get involved, please email us at [email protected].

SOURCE Charming Shoppes, Inc.