FRUIT OF THE LOOM® Sock Licensee Partners with Goodwill Industries International to Launch New Sock

Launch of Sock Product Provides Revenue for Goodwill's Job Training

MOUNT AIRY, N.C., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of the product launch of its new longer-lasting FRUIT OF THE LOOM® Gray Sole sock product for men, Renfro Corporation, Fruit of the Loom's sock licensee, is partnering with Goodwill Industries International, a social enterprise that helps more than 4 million people each year access job training, employment placement programs and support services, such as financial education and youth mentoring.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090716/DC47803LOGO)

Through July 31, Renfro will donate $1 to Goodwill® for every "like" it receives on its Facebook page www.facebook.com/fruitsocks. The goal is to raise $100,000, to support career services at Goodwills in communities nationwide. At a time when the unemployment rate hovers around 8 percent, services like pre-vocational training and support, job shadowing opportunities, interview skills, resume-writing, and skills training are needed to help people obtain high-growth employment positions.

The new FRUIT OF THE LOOM Gray Sole socks will be introduced while raising awareness and revenue for Goodwill.  The new socks have gray fibers that cover the entire foot bottom, providing greater durability and helping maintain a less worn look over the life of the sock. The product is different from the current FRUIT OF THE LOOM men's athletic socks, which feature only a gray heel and toe reinforced for longer wear. 

"We are constantly advancing our products to make them even better," said Laura Brim of Renfro's FRUIT OF THE LOOM Socks Licensed Products Division.  "Our goal is to provide the best value sock on the market — socks that last longer, through more wash cycles, and resist dirt and stains better than other products. Our socks are also competitively priced for smart shoppers, who have told us they would like to get more wear from their socks."

Goodwill is comprised of 165 headquarter agencies in the United States and Canada that meet the needs of job seekers in their local communities. As part of the partnership, the commercial services program at Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina (based in Greenville, S.C.)  was tapped to place stickers on the nearly 2 million packages of product that advertise the partnership. The Goodwill agency is located near the Clinton, S.C., distribution center that ships FRUIT OF THE LOOM socks.

"Partnerships with household names like the FRUIT OF THE LOOM brand enable us to expand our mission of job training to a new base of consumers," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "The FRUIT OF THE LOOM socks donation furthers our work and changes lives as we serve people with disabilities and other challenges finding employment go to work."

For more information about the Gray Sole socks and other FRUIT OF THE LOOM socks, visit www.facebook.com/fruitsocks.

"In this economy, we want to support organizations like Goodwill that are putting people to work, training and retraining workers in skills that are crucial to companies like Fruit of the Loom," said Brim. "For this reason, we believe cause partnerships like ours with Goodwill add sustainable value to the American workforce and businesses alike."

ABOUT FRUIT OF THE LOOM® SOCKS

FRUIT OF THE LOOM socks are manufactured and distributed by Renfro Corporation, an authorized licensee of Fruit of the Loom, Inc.  The FRUIT OF THE LOOM and fruit design trademarks are registered trademarks of Fruit of the Loom, Inc.

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 2,600 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2011, more than 4 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 82 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl or find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International