Nutcracker Jack Marches into Jack in the Box® for Holiday Fundraiser

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jack in the Box® restaurants today launched a holiday fundraiser benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters. For just $1, plus tax, guests may purchase a limited-edition Nutcracker Jack ornament with net proceeds benefiting the youth-mentoring organization. (Available at participating Jack in the Box restaurants while supplies last.)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110613/PH17540LOGO)
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121018/PH94244)

Although 120 years have passed since Tchaikovsky premiered his now-famous "March of the Toy Soldiers," the score remains as beloved today as the toy soldiers popularized in the Nutcracker Ballet.  Rosy cheeked and wearing a red shako adorned with decorative bronze lacing, the Nutcracker Jack ornament is pre-drilled on the bottom and fashioned with a braided loop on top, offering flexibility for display on a vehicle antenna or Christmas tree.

This is the fifth year that Jack in the Box has sold a limited-edition promotional item to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide long-term mentoring services to help children who face adversity succeed in school and in life. The previous promotions raised a combined total of more than $1.2 million for the youth mentoring organization.

The majority of funds raised from this year's fundraiser will help provide mentors and ongoing mentoring support to children from military families with parents deployed overseas.  Jack in the Box is a long-time supporter of military families and helped launch Big Brothers Big Sisters' Operation Bigs program in San Diego in 2004 at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. Military mentoring programs have expanded in San Diego and across the nation since then with support from Jack in the Box.

"Jack in the Box has been a national corporate role model, supporter and partner -- a company committed to providing resources needed to expand our one-to-one staff-supported volunteer mentoring services," said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Executive Officer Charles Pierson. "Children served by our agencies across the country face the kind of adversity that comes with growing up in single-parent, low-income and military families. Mentees in our program whose parents are in the military, particularly those whose moms and dads are deployed, face unique challenges.  With the generous support of Jack in the Box, Big Brothers Big Sisters is able to help more children in military families succeed in school and life."

[Note to media: Visit the online press room at jackinthebox.com for a high-res image of the Nutcracker Jack ornament.]

About Big Brothers Big Sisters 
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

Partnering with parents/guardians, school, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports them in one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors.  Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated.  Headquartered in Philadelphia with as network of about 350 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 630,000 children, volunteer mentors and families. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate, or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

About Jack in the Box Inc.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK), based in San Diego, is a restaurant company that operates and franchises Jack in the Box® restaurants, one of the nation's largest hamburger chains, with more than 2,200 restaurants in 21 states. The company created The Jack in the Box Foundation in 1998 to focus its charitable giving efforts and make a greater impact in Jack in the Box^® restaurant communities. The Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization funded by donations from Jack in the Box Inc., its employees, franchisees and vendors. The Foundation has contributed more than $7 million in financial and in-kind support to Big Brothers Big Sisters, its primary charitable partner since 1998.  For more information, visit www.jackinthebox.com.

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters