jcpenney Launches Enhanced Angel Giving Tree Online for Christmas

PLANO, Texas, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) and The Salvation Army launched today a new season of the Angel Giving Tree Online to provide much needed Christmas gifts to disadvantaged kids and senior citizens across the country. As the exclusive online destination for adopting Salvation Army Angels, jcp.com now boasts a new, customizable feature that makes it easier than ever to be a great Santa this holiday by enabling groups to adopt multiple Angels at one time.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110222/DA51975LOGO)

"In our third year of presenting the Angel Giving Tree Online, we wanted to offer the ability for individuals, families and groups to make adopting a Salvation Army Angel an annual holiday tradition," said Jodi Gibson, divisional vice president of community relations for jcpenney. "By incorporating new enhancements to the adoption experience, supporters now have the means to come together and significantly impact more families in need this season."

Created in collaboration with Infosys, Akamai Technologies, SapientNitro and Usablenet, the Angel Giving Tree Online enables supporters to adopt an Angel anywhere in the U.S. – making it easier than ever to buy and ship clothing, toys or other wish list items from the convenience of their home, office or almost anywhere in the world. For added convenience, the Angel Giving Tree Online program will also be accessible via a mobile browser at m.jcp.com/angel as well as a new app available for iPads starting Nov. 14. In conjunction with UPS, Angel gifts purchased through jcp.com can be shipped free of charge to a Salvation Army collection center.

"The Salvation Army is preparing for what is expected to be another record number of families seeking help this Christmas," said Maj. George Hood, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. "With the need greater than ever, we appreciate jcpenney's strong commitment to continually enhancing the online program so that the millions of children and seniors living in poverty will have the opportunity to receive a gift this year."

In order to ensure that Angels receive their gifts in time for Christmas, all adoptions and merchandise purchases must be made before Dec. 9; otherwise supporters have until Dec. 13 to buy a jcpenney gift card for their Angel.

About J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

J. C. Penney Company, Inc., one of America's leading retailers, operates over 1,100 jcpenney department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com. Serving more than half of America's families each year, the jcpenney brand offers a wide array of private, exclusive and national brands which reflect the Company's vision to be America's shopping destination for discovering great styles at compelling prices. Traded as "JCP" on the New York Stock Exchange, the $17.8 billion retailer is transforming its organization to support its Long Range Plan strategies to build a sustainable, profitable enterprise that serves its customers, engages its associates and rewards its shareholders.  For more information visit, www.jcpenney.net.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

For further information contact:

jcpenney Media Relations:
Daphne Avila; 972-431-3400; [email protected]

Salvation Army Public Relations:
Jennifer Byrd; 703-519-5890; [email protected]

SOURCE jcpenney