J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) and The Salvation Army are joining forces this Christmas season to give joy to even more people in need through a grand-scale online Angel Giving Tree program. From now until December 14, for the first-time ever, customers can adopt and shop online for Angels at www.jcp.com/angel, providing tens of thousands of children and seniors facing hardship in communities across the country with Christmas gifts. 

"In a year when so many need help, the new online Angel Giving Tree program will extend our reach and make it easier for our customers and Associates to give back this holiday season," said Mike Boylson, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for JCPenney. "By leveraging the strength of jcp.com, we are helping to modernize an American tradition - the Angel Tree program - and creating an innovative way to help families in need in our communities across the nation. Launching this program with The Salvation Army allows us to elevate our support for a cause that is extremely important to our customers and Associates, underscoring our focus on the ‘Joy of Giving' this holiday season."

The new online Angel Giving Tree program builds on the legacy of The Salvation Army's Angel Tree program that has been in operation for more than 40 years and will allow us to build upon our Christmas tradition by reaching a new online audience. The partnership with JCPenney will help us reach more people who want to adopt more angels in your community.

Created in collaboration with JCPenney partners Razorfish, Akamai Technologies, Sapient and Tata, the online Angel Giving Tree program allows customers to adopt an Angel at jcp.com/angel and conveniently shop for them online at jcp.com, in JCPenney stores or at any location they choose. In a few easy steps, customers can visit the site to request an Angel by location, age range and gender. An Angel who matches the criteria will be e-mailed to the customer along with a list of needed items. The confirmation e-mail will also include a link to view drop-off locations in the customer's area and ship-to addresses for online orders.

In collaboration with FedEx Ground, Angel Giving Tree gifts purchased through jcp.com can be shipped free of charge to any one of the 1,200 Salvation Army collection centers nationwide - putting the entire selection, shopping and delivery process at the customer's fingertips.  

The online Angel Giving Tree program builds on JCPenney's legacy of operating in an ethical and socially responsible manner. In 2007, the Company launched its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative - C.A.R.E.S.  - stemming from the vision that JCPenney cares for its Community, Associates, Responsible Sourcing, Environment and Sustainable Products.  The Company's commitment to social responsibility reflects its philosophy that "Every Day Matters" - for its customers, Associates, communities, investors and suppliers.  Additional information on JCPenney's CSR initiatives can be found at http://www.jcpenney.net/about/social_resp/default.aspx

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About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 129 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 spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org. 

About JCPenney

JCPenney is one of America's leading retailers, operating 1,109 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, and the nation's largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company's commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. Traded as "JCP" on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company posted revenue of $18.5 billion in 2008 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry. Key to this strategy is JCPenney's "Every Day Matters" brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the Company's approximately 150,000 Associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with JCPenney.