Sears Raises, Distributes $1 Million in Gift Card Donations Via Fifth Annual Heroes at Home Wish Registry™

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Through the generous donations of Sears customers and SHOP YOUR WAY(SM) Members, the fifth annual Heroes at Home Wish Registry campaign raised more than $1 million in gift card donations and today distributed those funds to nearly 20,000 military families with e-gift cards valued at $55.21 each. Over the past five years, Sears has raised more than $18 million in gift card donations and has assisted more than 100,000 military families through the program.

"Military families make daily sacrifices on behalf of our nation, and it is our honor to give back to them each holiday season," said Ron Boire, Sears Holdings' executive vice president, chief merchandising officer and president, Sears and Kmart formats. "At Sears, we know how to gift, and we are thrilled to give our Members and customers the means to give back and "gift" soldiers during the holiday season."

The Heroes at Home Wish Registry supports active-duty soldiers by accepting donations in-store and online. Donations to the Heroes at Home Wish Registry are not tax deductible and are used to purchase Sears gift cards that are equally distributed to registered families. For many military families, the program allows them to fulfill practical needs, helping ease the stress of the holiday season. The Sears gift cards have been used to purchase items from warm clothes to new toys for children to Christmas trees and other holiday decorations for homes. Of note, 24 percent of this year's Wish Registry military recipients live in the states most affected by Superstorm Sandy.

The Heroes at Home Wish Registry is just one of several ways in which Sears demonstrates its commitment to the military. Through a partnership with Rebuilding Together, Sears has renovated more than 1,100 homes of injured veterans to make necessary repairs, improvements or modifications. Other examples include:

• Sears is one of the country's leading military employers, currently employing more than 30,000 veterans, of which 1,500 are actively serving in the Reserve and National Guard. Sears recruitment programs place service men and women in jobs within the organization as well as accommodations for their spouses who have relocated to be closer to them.  Sears Holdings ranks number 14 on the list of Top Military Employers, and has been listed in the top 50 for the past seven years.
• Sears Holdings continues to offer military pay differential to its full-time associates who are reservists, serving on active duty. Reservists who are employed full-time are allowed to continue participating in life insurance, medical and dental programs.
• As part of the White House Joining Forces initiative, Sears Holdings recently announced a partnership with the Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ program, a national e-mentoring program designed to connect women veterans and military spouses with professional women to assist in navigating the path to success in the civilian workplace.

For more information on the Heroes at Home Wish Registry and to learn how to support military veterans throughout the year, visit sears.com/heroesathome.

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services and  is part of ShopYourWay, a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn Points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through ShopYourWay.com.  Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through its Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S.  The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 15 million service and installation calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.