Exclusive Product Collection benefits the annual St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Thanks and Giving campaign and The Salvation Army

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to support national nonprofit partners and the communities they serve, Target has expanded its exclusive holiday product collection, providing guests with a chance to help support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(R) and The Salvation Army. With the purchase of each nicely-priced item in the Target "Nice Twice. Gifts for a Cause" holiday collection, funds will be directly donated to each organization, allowing shoppers to stretch their holiday giving and feel even better about the gifts they give, and maybe even receive, this season.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081103/NEM103 )

"This year, as part of our ongoing commitment to community giving and support, we're offering an expanded holiday collection that benefits several special causes," said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. "By purchasing items in the 'Nice Twice' collection, our guests help us give back by directly supporting nonprofit organizations and the people they serve, which we hope will make their holiday shopping more meaningful."

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Thanks and Giving(R) campaign

Target has been a valued partner of St. Jude since 1999 when it first opened Target House, an innovative approach to long-term housing that has served more than 520 families of children who received life-saving treatment at St. Jude, touching countries all around the world. Funded by Target and its vendor and celebrity partner contributors, this unique facility is free-of-charge and enhances the quality of life for its residents, giving them a home-away-from-home.

This year marks the fifth year that Target has been a major contributor and partner of the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign. Funds raised by the campaign support the life-saving mission of St. Jude to find cures for desperately ill children in communities everywhere. Available exclusively at Target, a variety of gifts offered in this year's holiday collection will directly benefit St. Jude and even feature original artwork created by St. Jude patients and their families and friends, some of whom are Target House residents, including:

-- Choxie(TM) Thanks and Giving Chocolates -- New to the 2008 Choxie holiday collection are a 5-bar assortment gift box and an unique cookie-inspired truffle gift box. In addition, the classic 9-piece artisan truffle tiles gift box, which was featured in previous years' collections, will also be available for purchase. These Choxie choices will be available at Target stores nationwide beginning November 9. Each is available for $10, with 10 percent of the purchase price being donated to St. Jude.

-- Thanks and Giving American Greeting Wrapping Paper -- New to the collection, the three designs of wrapping paper incorporate artwork from St. Jude patients and their families and friends, some of whom are Target House residents, and are currently available at Target stores nationwide. Priced at $2.99, $1.00 of the purchase price of each roll will be donated to St. Jude.

-- Thanks and Giving Plush Elephant GiftCard Holder -- New to this year's charitable collection is the Plush Elephant GiftCard Holder playful puppet. It joins the holiday classic Plush Elephant GiftCard Holder stuffed animal -- which has been a featured favorite in the collection for three years. Both will be available for purchase at Target stores nationwide beginning November 30 and are priced at $2.99, with $1.75 of the purchase price donated to St. Jude. Accompanying Target GiftCards can be purchased in-store for amounts from $10-$1,000.

-- Target Photo Lab Holiday Cards -- The four holiday-themed cards, available in vertical and horizontal designs, are currently available at Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com/KodakGallery. With the purchase of each design, priced at 44 cents per card, 10 cents of the purchase price will be donated to St. Jude.

-- American Greetings Cards -- These holiday cards will be sold as box sets (24 cards), or individually. Holiday box set cards are currently available at Target stores nationwide, and the 16 designs of single cards will be available at Target stores nationwide starting November 28. Priced at $5.99, $2.00 of the purchase price of each box set will be donated to St. Jude. For each individual card, priced at $2.59, $1.80 of the purchase price will be donated to St. Jude.

-- St. Jude Heart Ornament -- The St. Jude holiday Heart ornament, with an all-new design, is now available online and at Target stores nationwide. Ten percent of the $14.99 purchase price will be donated to St. Jude.

The Salvation Army

Target has a long-standing partnership with The Salvation Army, working hand-in-hand to help families in need across the country throughout the year. Again this year, Target's holiday collection will feature a number of items that benefit The Salvation Army, including:

-- Songs for a Cause CD -- Adding to last year's classic holiday tunes, this CD will feature three new songs, including Mariah Carey singing Joy to the World, Frank Sinatra singing It Came Upon a Midnight Clear and Elvis Presley's rendition of The First Noel. It is currently available at Target stores nationwide. With the purchase of each CD, priced at $5.99, $2.00 of the purchase price will go to support The Salvation Army.

-- The Salvation Army Ornament -- Priced at $14.99 and available online and in stores now, 10 percent of the purchase price for the ornament will go directly to helping those in need throughout the country.

-- Target Photo Lab Holiday Cards -- Target Photo Lab offers two all-new holiday-themed cards that will directly benefit The Salvation Army. Priced at 44 cents per card online at Target.com/KodakGallery and in stores, 10 cents will be donated to the organization.

To find these and other great Gifts for a Cause, visit any Target or Target.com/nicetwice.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, please visit http://www.stjude.org.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 29 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. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in more than 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to http://www.salvationarmyusa.org.

About Target

Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,684 stores in 48 states nationwide by delivering today's best retail trends at affordable prices. Target is committed to providing guests with great design through innovative products, in-store experiences and community partnerships. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at Target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Since 1946, the corporation has invested five percent of its income in the communities it serves. Target (NYSE: TGT) gives more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Target partners with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

SOURCE Target

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CONTACT: Lindsay Muller of Imre Communications for Target, +1-410-821-8220, or Target Communications, +1-612-696-3400