Retailers to Give Thousands of New Winter Coats to Underprivileged Elementary School Students

BALTIMORE, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to make the winter season warmer for underprivileged children, the Keeping Kids Warm® program is donating new winter coats to 3 schools in the city of Baltimore. The Keeping Kids Warm program is supported by the Charming Shoppes, Inc. family of brands, Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherines. Baltimore Coat Distributions will take place at Dr. Bernard Harris Elementary School on November 4th; Alexander Hamilton Elementary School on November 5th; and at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School on November 5th. All events begin at 9:30am.

Starting this October, 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.

"To see our associates come together to give back to local children in need is very rewarding," says Jim Fogarty, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charming Shoppes, Inc. "Our family of 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 also appreciate the support we receive from our vendor base, which assists in the smooth execution of our program," says Jim Fogarty.

This is the Keeping Kids Warm program's 14th year. To date, the retailers have donated nearly 115,000 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 close to 20 schools and give away nearly 10,000 coats. At the end of this season, the program will have donated close to 125,000 coats in 75 communities across the country, a truly inspiring accomplishment.

Crews are invited to attend the Baltimore Coat Presentation Day events at Dr. Bernard Harris Elementary School located at 1400 North Caroline Street; Alexander Hamilton Elementary School located at 800 Poplar Grove Street; and Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School located at 624 Eutaw Place.

Keeping Kids Warm is an endeavor of CSI Charities, Inc., a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherines operate under the parent company Charming Shoppes, Inc. Charming Shoppes operates more than 2,200 retail apparel stores in 48 states. The Charming Shoppes family of brands offers the latest styles for in apparel, accessories, and footwear for women of all sizes. For more information on Charming Shoppes, Inc., please visit www.charmingshoppes.com. For more information about Lane Bryant, please visit www.lanebryant.com. For more information about Fashion Bug, please visit www.fashionbug.com. For more information about Catherines, please visit www.catherines.com.